With  the  respects  of  Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry. 


TRIBUTE 


TO 


^  ♦  ^tj 


EX-GOVERNOR 


SOUTH   CAROLINA, 


BORN 
NOVEMBER  20,  1805. 


DIED 
DECEMBER  3.    1886. 


"The  World  is  Better 
That  He  Lived." 


^ JD E CE^M  BE  R  J3,    1  8  8  8.    3^ 


"In  Himself  Was  all  His  State:" 


FIRST   EDITION,   3000. 


Shannon  &  ('o.,  PrinterK. 
Greenville.  S.  ('. 


COMPILED 
BY  THE  WIFE 
FROM  THE  MANY  COMMUNICATIONS 
RECEIVED, 
IN  MEMORY  OF  THE  HUSBAND, 
ON  THE 
SECOND  ANNIVERSARY  OF  HER  LOSS, 
DECEMBER  3,  1888. 


'  He  was  as  firm  as  Cato, 

and 
As  just  as  Aristides." 


.X^SS^X^ 


INDEX, 


.  commknts  of  nkwspaper8  ox  "  biographical  skktchics  of  k.minknt  a  m  kuica.n 

statesmen."  " 

I'agi- 

Anderson  Intelligencer , 14 

Anderson  Journal 15 

Atlanta  Constitutipn  ,. , 21 

Augusta  Chronicle 13 

Boston  Post jfj 

Boston  Advertiser 2'j 

Charleston  News  and  Courier 10 

Charleston  Daily  Sun IT, 

Cheraw  Reporter 22 

Darlington  News 28 

Flo'ida  Times-Union 28 

Greenville  Baptist  Courier 19 

Greenville  Daily  News 8 

Montgomery  Daily  Advertiser 2(T 

New  Haven  Register 8 

Seneca  Free  Press 21 

Spartanburg  Carolina  Spartan If} 

Walhalla  Keowee  Courier '. 20 

Winnsboro  News  and  Herald 14 

The  above  are  all  the  editorials  that  are  known  to  have  been  written. 

REVIEWS   OF   "biographical   SKETCHES  OF   EMINENT  AMERICAN  STATESMEN, 
SPEECHES,"   &C. 

Southern  Churchman — Rev.  Dr.  H.  Melville  Jackson 02 

Thomas,  Col.  John  P.  (Communicated  to  Columbia  Daily  Record  ) 3 

Thomas,  Col.  John  P.  (Governor  Perry's  post  bellum  career.) 5 

Kennedy    Library,    (acknowledgment   of    "Eminent   American  Statesmen, 

Speeches,  &c." 19 

Means,  Mrs.  Celina,  in  Carolina  Spartan 17 

LETTERS   RELATING   TO   "  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  OF   EMINENT  AMERICAN 
STATESMEN,  SPEECHES,  &C." 

Crawford,  Col,  Andrew 34 

Davis,  Jefferson  C 1 

Davis,  Jefferson,  Confederate  President 65 

English,  Joseph  M 38 

Gass,  Rev.  John 36 

Hamilton,  S.  Prioleau 31 

Hayne,  William  Alston 31 

Lanier,  D.  G ^ 36 

Lea,  Judge  John  M 33 

Lea,  Judge  John  M 34 

LeConte,  John,  President  of  the  University  of  California 3D 

McBee,  Silas 32 

Ragsdale,  Edward  B 30 

Thomas,  Col.  John  P 2 


IV. 

Thompson,  Mrs.  William  Butler ,  39 

Winthrop,  Hon.  Robert  C 85 

LETTERS   ACKNOWLEDGING   THE    RECEIPT  OF   THE   SPEECH   BEFORE   THE  MER- 
CHANTS, MECHANICS  AND  BUSINESS  MEN  OF  COLUMBIA. 

Archer,  Prof.  Henry  P.,  Superintendent  of  Public  Schools  in  Charleston,  8.  C.  44 

Hudson,  Judge  J.  H 44 

Judson,  Prof.  C,  H.,  of  Furman  University,  Greenville,  S.  C 43 

Rice,  James  Henry,  State  Superintendent  of  Education  in  South  Carolina 43 

A  FEW  OF  THE  LETTERS  ACKNOWLEDGING  THE  RECEIPT  OF  THE  SECOND  EDITION 
OF    "in  MEMORIAM." 

Aldrich,  Col.  James 56 

Bomar,  E.  E 47 

Bailey,  B.  F 51 

Dawes,  Senator  H.  L 55 

Dean,  Dr.  George  R 53 

Dewberry.  John 50 

Gage,  John  P 49 

Gary,  Eugene  B 52 

Gibson,  R.  B 58 

Hyde,  Simeon 52 

Johnson,  Prof.  D.  B 58 

Lea,  Judge  John  M 46 

Lowrance,  W.  B 47 

Lowndes,  James ^ 62 

Mayfield,  W.  D 63 

McGowan,  Frank  P 61 

McKissick,  Col.  J.  G 54 

Mobley,  John  G 61 

Page,  Rosewell 51 

Raysor,  Thomas  M 53 

Seabrook,  Dr.  J.  G 56 

Simpson,  W.  W 49 

Stephens,  Bishop  P.  F 61 

Rutledge,  Gen.  B.  H 59 

Wallace,  Hon.  William 62 

Wallace,  E.  R 48 

Willson,  Rev.  John  0 59 

Witherspoon,  George  M.  C 60 

"GREENVILLE  IN  THE  LONG  AGO." 

Archer,  Prof.  Henry  P.— Letter 70 

Croft,  Dr.  Randal — Address  delivered  on  the  presentation  of  a  pair  of  silver 

pitchers  to  Hon.  B.  F.  Perry 71 

Perry,  Gov.  B.  F.— Reply 74 

Dudley,  Hon..C.  W.— Visit  to  Gov.  Perry 66 

Furman,  McDonald— Visit  to  Sans  Souci 67 

Griffin,  Dr.  P.  E.— Letter 98 

Osborn,  Logan— Letter  to  West,  Johnston  &  Co 96 

Perry,  Gov.  B.  F.— Extracts  from  letters 97 

Perry,  Gov.  B.  F.— Preface  written  in  his  wife's  Journal 301 


V. 

Speech  delivered  before  the  merchants,  mechanics  and   business  men  of  Co- 
lumbia, December  17,  1853,  by  Hon.  B.  F.  Perry 81 

The  Greenville  Daily  News — Notice  of  the  Speech 41 

SKETCH  OF  WILMAM  H.  PERHY  WHEN  FIRST  NOMINATED  FOB  CONGRESS  IN  1884. 

Croft,  Col.  Edward 105 

A  FEW  OF   THE   LETTERS  CONGRATULATORY  ON  THE    RE-ELECTION   OF    WILLIAM 
H.    PERRY   TO  CONGRESS   FOR   THE   THIRD  TERM. 

Capers,  Rev.  Ellison 113 

Crawford,  Col.  Andrew .-. Ill 

Crawford,  Col.  Andrew 112 

Dibble,  Hon.  Samuel 117 

English,  Joseph  M 120 

Gilreath,  Herman  G 121 

Hennies,  George  V 114 

Johnson,  David,  Sr 110 

Kirk,  Charles  E 116 

Landrum,  Dr  J.  B.  0 118 

Lipscomb,  Col.  T.  J 117 

McKissick,  Col.  J.  G 113 

McCoy,  P.  B 115 

Moseley,  Col.  George  F 113 

Rice,  James  H 115 

Stokes,  Col.  John  M 117 


Sans  Souci.  the  Residence  of  Ex-Gov.  Perr 


Ex-Governor  B.  F.  Perry, 


SKETCH  OF  HIS  LIFE. 


(Tliis  sketfli  of  Governor  Perry  was  written  many  years  ago,  during  his  life,  and 

though  not  differing  materially  from  other  sketches  written  of  him,  the 

character  of  Governor  Perry  is  portrayed  in  so  true  and  vivid  a 

manner,  his  wife  has  been  tempted  to  put  it  in  this  Tribute 

to  him,  in  order  to  preserve  it  in   a  durable  form.) 

This  eminent  and  distinguished  gentleman,  so  widely  and 
favorably  known  throughout  the  United  States,  resides  so 
near  the  city  of  Greenville  that  he  is  claimed  as  a  citizen 
thereof,  having,  until  a  short  time  since,  resided  directly  in 
the  city.  Governor  Perry,  although  having  retired  from  the 
active  practice  of  his  profession,  is  still  daily  seen  at  his  old 
office,  on  Main  street,  his  son.  Col.  VV.  H.  Perry,  being  the 
active  partner  of  the  law  firm  of  Perry  &  Perry. 

Governor  Perry  retains  still  much  vigor  of  constitution, 
and  his  firm  tread  and  elastic  step  would  indicate  that  he  is 
a  much  younger  man  than  he  really  is.  Of  large  and  com- 
manding person,  with  striking  intellectuality  of  face,  he  read- 
ily impresses  everyone  as  being  far  above  the  mediocrity  of 
men,  and  one  of  nature's  true  noblemen. 

As  a  lawyer,  he  is  distinguished,  and  regarded  as  one  of 
the  best  and  boldest  advocates  that  ever  practiced  at  the 
bar  of  the  Western  Circuit;  is  of  great  dignity  of  character, 
yet  a  mopt  genial  and  agreeable  conversationalist,  and  has 
brilliant  literary  attainments;  the  possessor  of  a  large  libra- 
ry, and  a  vigorous  writer,  he  has  contributed  much  to  the 
historical  literature  of  the  country,  particularly  since  he  has 
retired  from  the  practice  of  his  profession. 

The  history  of  this  distinguished  man  is  so  well  known, 
that  we  do  not  propose  to  give  it  fully,  but  only  to  record 


VIII. 

the  pleasing  fact  that  he  has  not,  like  many  other  distin- 
guished men  of  the  old  reo^ime,  outlived  their  usefulness  a,nd 
shown  an  indifferent  apathy  to  the  future  of  the  country ; 
and,  although  not  seeking  any  office  himself,  he  has  been  free 
and  outspoken  in  his  condemnation  of  the  despoiling  band 
of  plunderers  and  blatant  politicians  that  have  been  spawned 
upon  us  by  New  England,  and  sought  to  have  instituted  such 
measures  as  would  rescue  the  State  and  the  whole  South  from 
this  infamous  crew,  who  have  practiced  so  much  of  misrule, 
and  given  thus  so  much  of  anarchy  in  our  midst.  Governor 
Perry  has  always  had  great  admiration  for  the  Union  as 
handed  down  by  our  ancestors,  and  when  the  popular  mind 
was  inflamed  with  the  delusive  idea  that  our  sectional  rights 
would  be  secured  only  by  severance  from  the  other  States, 
and  the  formation  of  a  government  of  our  own,  Governor 
Perry,  first  in  the  excitement  of  nullification,  then  a  young 
man,  came  bravely  forward,  and  opanly  opposed  the  policy 
of  the  State,  and  while  he  was  triumphantly  sustained  in  his 
own  up-country,  he  was  bitterly  denounced  in  other  portions 
of  the  State. 

Again,  when  the  secession  spirit  ran  high.  Governor  Perry, 
true  to  his  early  convictions,  that  our  true  remedy  for  re- 
dress of  grievances  was  in  the  Union,  rather  than  out  of  it, 
again  opposed  the  policy  of  the  State,  when  it  really  required 
heroism  and  Spartan  j)luck  to  do  so.  His  then  predictions 
were  singularly  accurate,  and  demonstrate  fully  his  great 
political  sagacity  and  integrity.  Although  opposed  to  the 
policy  of  the  State  in  inaugurating  the  war.  Governor 
Perry,  as  a  true  son  should  always  do,  went  with  his 
mother,  saying,  right  or  wrong,  come  weal  or  woe,  he  would 
go  with  his  State.  He  contributed  liberally  of  his  means  for 
the  prosecution  of  the  war,  as  well  as  furnished  a  gallant 
son  for  the  service.  After  the  war,  ere  the  smoke  of  war  had 
fully  passed  away,  he  was  solicited  by  the  administration  to 
visit  the  national  capital  for  conference  as  to  the  best  meas- 


IX. 

ures  to  be  instituted  for  the  rehabilimeiit  of  South  Carolina 
as  one  of  the  component  States  of  the  Union.  His  people 
urged  his  acceptance  of  the  invitation,  and  looked  upon  it  as 
an  earnest  of  President  Johnson's  good  feeling  to  the  South. 
Governor  Perry  went  to  Washington,  and  the  greatest  re- 
spect was  paid  him,  and  he  was  notified  that  he  had  been  se- 
lected as  the  Provisional  Governor  of  the  State.  This  he  ac- 
cepted, and  went  immediately  to  work  for  the  reconstruction 
of  the  State  upon  the  basis  agreed  upon  by  President  John- 
son and  other  prominent  men  of  the  North.  Universal  joy, 
as  well  as  increased  confidence  was  felt  all  over  the  State  at 
his  succession  to  the  chief  magistracy  of  the  State.  He  issued 
his  proclamation,  which  was  ably  written,  and  enthusiasti- 
cally received  by  all  classes,  and  the  light  of  the  day  of  recon- 
ciliation and  rescue  from  what  was  before  regarded  as  abso- 
lute ruin,  seemingly  had  dawned.  Civil  government,  in  the 
main,  was  at  once  restored,  a  convention  of  the  people  was 
called,  composed  of  the  ablest  men  of  the  State,  many  of 
w^hom  had  been  all  their  lives  antagonistic  to  Governor 
Perry's  political  action,  but  who  were  now  seen  rallying  to 
his  support,  and  ardent  admirers  of  his  proven  statesman- 
ship and  high  integrity.  He  became  the  most  popular  man 
in  the  State,  and  the  first  Legislature  that  met  afterwards, 
without  hardly  a  dissenting  voice,  selected  him  as  one  of  the 
Senators  to  Congress  from  this  State.  But,  unfortunately 
for  the  whole  country.  Governor  Perry  was  never  permitted 
to  take  his  seat.  Not  long  afterwards,  a  different  policy  to 
that  of  President  Johnson  sprung  up  at  the  North,  and  all 
that  had  been  accomplished  through  such  men  as  Governor 
Perry  was  effectually  wiped  out  by  the  monstrous  doings  of 
theCongress  of  1867-68,  and  which,  under  the  blind  teachings 
of  Sumner,  Butler,  Stevens  and  others  of  the  then  dominant 
party  in  Washington,  culminated  in  the  enactment  of  the 
several  amendments  to  the  Constitution,  which  at  once 
brought  on  confusion  and  antagonism  between  all  classes  at 


X. 

the  South,  and  which  has  resulted  so  disastrously  to  the  ma- 
terial prosperity  o!  the  South.  Governor  Perry  retired  in 
disgust  at  this  period  from  active  participation  in  the  dis- 
cussion of  what  should  be  the  policy  of  the  South  towards 
acceptance  of  these  unconstitutional  and  infamous  measures. 
Though  he  was  free  to  express  his  convictions,  he  did  so 
through  his  writings  of  their  unconstitutionality  and  results. 
But  it  will  be  impracticable  in  this  article  to  detail  all  the 
valuable  services  Governor  Perry  has  rendered  his  country, 
and  the  prominent  positions  he  has  so  eminently  filled. 
When  the  history  of  the  present  century  of  this  country  shall 
be  full}^  detailed  and  embodied.  Governor  Perry  will  occupy  a 
prominent  position  therein.  His  name  will  appear  deservedl^^ 
among  the  roll  of  sreat  men  this  State  has  produced. 


COMMENTS  OF  NEWSPAPERS 

"Biographical  Sketches  of  Eminent  American  Statesmen." 


(This  letter  is  published  as  a  suitable  Introduction  to  the  Editorials  on  the 
'Biographical  Sketches  of  Eminent  American  Statesmen.") 

Newberry,  S.  C,  December  21,  1883. 
Hon.  Benjamin  F.  Perry,  Greenville,  S.  C: 

Dear  Sir:  Allow  me  to  say  that  as  a  Carolinian,  I  hp^ve 
long  been  an  appreciative  admirer  of  yours,  and  have  re- 
garded you  with  pride  as  the  great  Daniel  Webster  of  the  old 
Palmetto  State,  standing  head  and  shoulders  above  all  her 
other  sons.  1  have  read  your  various  articles  in  the  public 
prints  with  decided  pleasure  and  avidity;  and  after  many 
vain  efforts  to  procure  them  in  a  collected  form,  I  have  re- 
solved to  write  you  on  the  subject  and  ascertain  if  you  have 
yet  gathered  them  together,  from  the  various  periodicals  to 
which  you  have  so  long  contributed,  in  any  kind  of  book  or 
pamphlet  form.  It  would  be  a  pleasure  to  have  them  treas- 
sured  up  in  more  convenient  form,  especially  those  very  in- 
teresting and  instructive  sketches  of  ''Eminent  American 
Statesmen,"  and  early  historical  narrativ^es  of  the  State.  I 
have  been  so  fortunate  as  to  be  able  to  collect  a  few  (three 
in  number,  viz.:  Choate,  Ramsey  and  Chief  Justice  Marshall), 
which  I  have  pasted  away  in  my  scrap  book.  Another  arti- 
cle I  also  have,  entitled  "Joining  the  Republican  Party," 
which,  in  brief,  is  the  best  and  clearest  exposition  of  Demo- 
cratic principles  I  ever  saw.  You  will  please  inform  me  if 
you  have  yet  collected  and  published  those  articles;  or,  if 
not,  whether  it  is  your  intention  to  give  them  to  the  public. 

You  will  also  oblige  me  by  giving  the  counties,  or  districts, 
in  which  the  South  Carolina  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  In- 


Benjamin  Franklin  Ferry. 


dependence  lived.  They  were,  I  believe,  Messrs.  RutJedge. 
Hey  ward,  Lynch  and  Middleton.  In  what  sections  of  the 
State  did  they  reside? 

Please  be  so  kind  as  to  answer  the  above  question  for  the 
information  of  one  who  is  deeply  interested  in  the  history  of 
the  State  and  who  desires  a  more  perfect  knowledge  of  the 
biography  of  her  long  and  extensive  roll  of  distinguished 
sons. 

Soliciting  an  early  answer,  I  remain,  my  dear  sir. 

Your  admiring  friend  and  obedient  servant, 

Jefferson  C.  Davis. 


Columbia,  S.  C,  November  24,  1887. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry, 

Dear  Madam:  1  have  received  your  esteemed  communica- 
tion, and  consider  myself  honored  in  the  possession  of  your 
consideration. 

I  shall  deem  it  a  privilege  to  do  the  work  requested,  as  I 
can  do  so  with  suL-h  a  high  appreciation  of  your  d3ceased 
husband  and  your  queenly  devotion  to  his  memory.  I  have 
in  mind  many  evidences  of  Governor  Perry's  nobility  of  char- 
acter, but  the  best  is  his  widow's  love  and  admiration.  My 
duties  as  legislator  and  as  editor  keeps  my  pen  busy  with 
matters  of  State.  But  this  Thanksgiving  Day  gives  me  some 
relief.  I  shall  write  this  day  a  notice  of  your  proposed  vol- 
ume, and  it  will  be  with  me  a  task  of  friendship  for  the  living, 
as  well  as  consideration  for  your  dead. 

1  have  told  my  wife  that  I  might  consent  to  die,  could  I  be 
assured  of  deserving  at  her  hands  a  tithe  of  the  love  and 
honor  that  you  lavish  with  youthful  zeal  ui)on  your  honored 
husband's  memory.  Surely  he  must  have  been  a  Brutus 
without  the  Roman's  faults.  Nor  can  I  now  fail  to  realize 
how  in  life  he  had  his  Portia  to  appreciate,  and  to  be  help- 
meet indeed. 

1  have  the  honor  to  be. 

Yours  truly  and  respectfully, 

John  P.  Thomas. 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 


(The  Columbia  Daily  Record,  Friday,  February  17,  1888.) 
(Communicated.) 

I  ask  the  opportunity  of  callin<>;  attention  to  this  recent 
South  Carolina  publication,  so  eminently  deserving:  of  public 
recognition.  Ah  we  are  informed  in  the  openinfj;  pages  of  the 
book  its  appearance  is  due  to  the  inexhaustible  devotion  of 
the  honored  widow  of  the  deceased  statesman.  ''This  vol- 
ume is  compiled  and  published  by  the  wife  in  memory  of  the 
beloved  and  devoted  husband  who,  during  a  married  life  of 
fifty  years,  found  in  his  character  arid  life  only  what  she  could 
love,  honor,  and  be  proud  of,  and  whose  care  it  is  that  the 
memory  of  his  virtues  and  the  example  of  his  noble  devotion 
to  his  duty  and  his  country  shall  be  preserved  for  future  gen- 
erations. " 

As  for  the  late  Governor  himself,  while  he  felt  that  he  had 
nev^er  forfeited,  but  had  on  the  contrary  always  enjoyed,  the  re- 
spect and  esteem  of  the  best  people  of  his  native  State,  it  was 
his  purpose,  as  I  know,  to  make  a  publication  of  his  writings 
with  a  view  of  doing  justice  to  his  memory  after  his  death.  But 
this  plan,  for  come  cause,  was  not  executed.  Hence  it  will  be 
seen  that  in  her  present  wifely  enterprise,  Mrs.  Perry  is  not 
only  doing  a  good  work  for  the  State  and  the  country,  but 
is  further  cariying  out  her  husband's  wish,  as  embodied  in  a 
purpose  conceived  by  him  more  than  thirty  years  ago,  and 
conveyed  to  his  wife. 

And  well  has  her  loyal  design  been  executed.  The  volume 
is  an  attractive  one— fit  to  adorn  the  library,  and  to  be  the 
ready  source  of  high  thought  and  patriotic  inspiration;  well 
calculated  to  invite,  in  its  ethical  spirit,  the  imitation  of 
youth  and  to  confirm  the  steady  resolutions  of  age.  The 
book  contains  612  neatly  printed  pages.  The  frontispiece 
presents,  in  a  finely  executed  photograph,  the  imposing  bust 
of  Governor  Perry— upon  whose  ample  front  engraven-delib- 
eration  sits,  and  public  care,  and  whose  Atlantean  shoulders 
seem  fit,  in  Miltonic  phrase,  to  bear  the  weight  of  mightiest 
monarchies.  Then  follows  the  graceful  preface  by  Dr.  Hext 
M.  Perry,  who,  in  behalf  of  his  distinguished  farther's  family, 
announces  the  spirit  and  the  scheme  of  the  present  publica- 
tion. 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 


Next  follows  the  appreciative  introduction  by  Senator 
Wade  Hampton,  between  whom  and  Governor  Perry  senti- 
ments of  mutual  esteem  existed — kindred  souls  in  this,  that 
in  each  we  have  illustrated — such  as  Sir  Philip  Sidney  exem- 
])lified — "hi<>h  thoughts  seated  in  a  heart  of  courtesy.  " 
.  An  engraving  of  ^^  Sans  Souci,  "  the  handsome  resilience  of 
the  deceased,  next  meets  the  eye,  and  suggests  the  type  of  a 
generous  and  refined  home  of  a  South  Carolinian  of  the  olden 
times. 

The  volume  proper  opens  with  a  condensed  outline  of  Gov- 
ernor Perry's  life  by  Mr.  A.  B.  Williams,  of  the  Greenville 
News.  This  is  succeeded  by  a  compihition  of  the  notices  of 
the  deceased  from  the  newspapers  of  South  Carolina  and  its 
leading  men;  as  well  as  from  the  State  Legislature,  and  from 
the  bar  and  the  courts  whei*e  he  practiced  for  many  years, 
niid  where  he  was  most  intimately  known.  This  will  show 
how  'n  mouths  of  wisest  censure  his  death  evoked  encomi- 
ums of  highest  character;  and  how  amply  has  been  fulfilled 
his  prediction  that  his  reputation  would  grow  brighter  after 
his  decease — a  faith  expressed  in  the  year  1857,  when  the  an- 
tagonism that  he  had  to  meet  in  his  devotion  to  his  politi- 
cal creed  was  fiercest  and  strongest. 

The  addresses — political  and  literary — which  Governor 
Perry  from  time  to  time  delivered  on  various  occasions — are 
all  characteristic  of  the  man  ;  of  the  master  of  good  English 
and  of  the  independant,  earnest  and  honest  thinker;  of  him, 
the  true  son  of  up-country  soil,  who  was  as  virtuous  as  Cato 
and  as  brave  as  Julius  Caesar. 

One  address  by  Governor  Perry  I  notice  omitted,  which  il- 
lustrates his  sagacity  and  adds  to  his  fame.  I  mean  the 
speech  which  he  made  in  the  State  Democratic  Convention  of 
April,  1868— a  memorable  convention,  by  the  way.  On  that 
occasion  Governor  Perry,  in  connection  with  Gen.  Chesnut, 
Col.  D.  Wyatt  Aiken,  and  other  discreet  spirits,  wisely  de- 
clared for  qualified  negro  suffrage,  and  helped  to  put  the 
post  helium  Democracy  of  South  Carolina  upon  a  prudent  and 
just  career,  thus  laying  the  basis  for  the  great  victory  of  1876. 
Governor  Perry  continued  thereafter  in  full  accord  with  the 
conservative  element  of  the  State  Democratic  party,  and  was 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 


ever  true  as  steel  to  the  State  and  the  civilization  of  the 
State. 

I  come  now  to  the  main  features  of  the  book  under  review. 
This  consists  of  bio^Taphical  sketches  of  eminent  American 
statesmen.  The  scope  of  these  graphic  sketches  is  as  wide 
as  was  the  catholic  spirit  of  the  author.  They  embrace  dis- 
tinguished men  of  the  North  and  of  the  South  alike.  They 
will  be  read  no  less  with  profit  than  with  pleasure.  Nor  is  it 
possible  for  any  candid  reader  to  rise  from  their  perusal 
without  a  high  appreciation  of  the  writer's  discriminating 
])Owers,  his  strong  mental  grasp,  and  his  sympathy  with  all 
that  is  ^ood  and  true  and  noble  as  well  in  private  as  in  pub- 
lic life. 

Governor  Perry's  ''Reminiscences  of  Public  Men"  and  his 
''Sketches  of  Eminent  American  Statesmen " — as  well  as  his 
political  and  literary  utterances — all  attest  his  high  personal 
traits  and  his  ardent  patriotism. 

Long  after  the  granite  monument  erected  to  his  fame  shall 
have  fallen  into  decaj^  will  these  lettered  memorials  remain 
to  honor  his  memory  and  preserve  his  name. 

It  is  gratifying*  to  know  that  this  volume— now  for  sale  at 
Messrs.  Bryan  &  Co.'s  and  at  Mr.  Duffle's  for  |1.50  per  copy 
— may  be  followed  by  another,  containing  a  biography  and 
extracts  from  the  private  journal  of  Governor  Perry. 

If  the  world  is  better  because  such  a  marked  character —such 
a  strong  individuality— has  lived,  surely  it  is  a  wise  and  use- 
ful thing  to  put  before  the  youth  of  the  land  the  record  of  his 
life  and  his  thoughts  and  his  labors— to  the  end  that,  like 
(:)ther  dead  but  sceptred  sovereigns,  he  may  rule  our  spirits 
from  his  urn.  J.  P.  Thomas. 

CoiAJMBiA,  S.  C,  Feb.  16,  1888. 


(The  Columbia  Daily  Record,  February  28,  1888.) 

In  a  review  of  the  volume  entitled,  ''Sketches  of  Eminent 
American  Statesmen,"  by  Gov.  Perry,  of  South  Carolina,  I 
have  referred  to  the  omission  of  one  incident  which  marks  a 
signal  episode  in  his  long  and  eventful  public  life.  I  mean  his 
part  in  the  memorable  State  Democratic  Convention  of  1868. 


6  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 

This  body  of  reyjresentative  whites  had  met  in  the  shadow 
of  radical  reconstruction  deeper  than  the  gloom  of  Appomat- 
tox. The  issue  involved  was  Anglo-Saxon  supremacy  or  ne- 
gro domination — the  latter  being  for  party  ends  aided  and 
abetted  by  a  powerful  organization  North.  The  South  Caro- 
lina phalanx  stood  small  in  array,  but  composed  and  reso- 
lute and  strong  in  the  faith  of  a  race  upon  whose  brow  God 
had  implanted  the  symbols  of  sovereignty  on  earth.  It  was 
Sparta  confronting  Asian  numbers. 

Upon  that  high  occasion — in  that  convention  animated  by 
the  indomitable  spirit  of  a  conmionwealth  unconquered  and 
unconquerable  in  soul,  B.  F.  Perry,  of  Greenville,  was  found 
in  full  accord  with  the  body.  He  was  one  of  the  number  of 
those  sagacious  statesmen  who  placed  the  South  Carolina 
Democracy  upon  tenable  ground  and  paved  the  way  to  ulti- 
mate victory.  Nor  should  it  be  forgotten  that  Mr.  Perry 
w^asoneof  the  first  and  foremost  in  opposition  to  Radical  and 
negro  rule  in  this  State.  Hewastheauthorof  a  strong,scath- 
ing,  thoroufih  review  of  the  Radical  Constitution  of  1868, 
which  was  that  year  submitted  to  Congress  for  ratification. 
And  it  maybe  added  that  the  force  of  this  paper  was  so  fully 
recognized  in  those  disjointed  times  that  when  the  State  Cen- 
tral Executive  Committee  of  the  Democratic  party  of  South 
Carolina — composed  as  follows:  Wade  Hampton,  John  P. 
Thomas,  J.  D.  Pope,  F.  VV.  McMaster,  Samuel  McGowan,  and 
W.  M.  Shannon — made  to  Congress  a  formal  Remonstance 
against  theimposition  upon  South  Carolina  of  the  said  Radi- 
cal Constitution,  the  substance  of  Mr.  Perry's  analysis  was 
incorporated  in  the  memorial  of  the  committee,  and  the  ex- 
tract was  thus  introduced : 

"And  first  permit  us  to  lay  before  your  honorable  body  the  following  analysis  of 
the  said  Constitution,  prepared  by  the  Hon.  B.  F.  Perry,  of  this  State — a  pure 
man,  an  able  lawyer,  and  a  life-long,  bold  and  outspoken  Unionist.  As  a  man  who 
opposed  nullification  and  secession  you  will  perhaps  not  regard  him  as  one  whose 
views  on  the  Constitution  are  apt  to  be  pervaded  by  that  disunion  spirit  which 
many  members  of  your  honorable  body  might  deem  suflacient  to  prejudice  any 
paperemanating  from  South  Carolina." 

In  making  up  Gov.  Perry's  entire  political  record,  his  ut- 
terances and  his  services  at  this  critical  period  of  Democratic 


Bonjamin  Franklin  Perry. 


resurrection  and  Anglo  Saxon  self-assertion  in  our  "Pros- 
trate State,"  as  South  Carolina  then  was,  cannot,  in  justice 
to  his  memory,  be  passed  by  unnoticed.  These  make  dia- 
monds of  first  water  in  his  civic  crown.  In  that  first  strug- 
gle for  our  captured  State — beginning  in  1868  and  ending  in 
triumph  in  1876 — than  which  none  more  fateful  has  ever 
occurred  in  the  rich  history  of  this  old  commonwealth  through 
all  the  phases  of  its  eventful  career.  Governor  Perry — no  more 
for  conscience'  sakeestranged  from  brother  South  Carolinians 
— was  with  us  and  of  us— the  swift  current  of  his  political 
sympathies  mingling  with  ours  and  flowing  freely  in  the  new 
channel  of  the  State's  post-helium  Democracy.  Ever  devoted 
son  and  chastened  mother  came  together,  and  lost  in  the 
harmonies  of  the  present  were  the  discordances  of  the  past. 

Thus  it  is  that  time,  great  leveler,  makes  all  things  even. 
Thus  it  was  that  peace  and  reconciliation  came  with  honor. 
So  it  came  to  p)ass  that,  old  feuds  forgotten  and  his  warfare 
ended,  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry,  of  Roman  mould  and  Chris- 
tian impress,  passed  away  esteemed  and  admired  in  a  great 
State  whose  creed  political  he  was  wont  to  combat  and  whose 
public  policy  he  had  resolutely  resisted.  And  now — muta- 
tion strange  but  happy — in  South  Carolina  this  man,  who  in 
all  his  long  life  was  of  firm  and  noble  soul,  is  rightly  deemed 
one  of  the  State's  sons  of  memory  and  heirs  of  fame. 

Some  men  there  are  in  this  day  of  materialistic  trend  of 
thought  who  are  inclined  to  minify  mind  audits  resources  in 
the  disposition  to  magnify  matter  and  its  appliances— to  dis- 
crown moral  and  mental  forces  before  the  power  of  steam 
and  electricity. 

But  what  a  shallow  philosophy  is  this! 

South  Carolina  has  need  of  all  her  developed  wealth  of  soil 
and  mines  and  forests  and  products  of  every  kind.  But  more 
than  all  this  does  she  need  to  bear  in  mind  that  mind  and 
character  constitute  a  State. 

Not  forgotten,  therefore,  should  the  duty  be  to  heed  the 
lessons  and  to  honor  the  memory  of  those— the  patriot  sons 
of  the  State— who  by  their  genius  and  nobleness  and  unself- 
ish labors  have  coutributed  to  the  glory  of  the  common- 
wealth. J.  P.  Thomas. 

Columbia,  S.  C,  Feb.  28,  1888. 


8  Benjajinin  Franklin  Perry. 

(The  Greenville  News,  March  4,  1888.) 

Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry  has  given  a  valuable  addition  to  perma- 
nent literature  in  a  handsomely  bound  book  of  six  hundred 
pages,  published  in  Philadelphia  under  the  supervision  of  Dr. 
Hext  M.  Perrv,  and  entitled  "Sketches  by  Governor  Perry." 

The  volume  contains  a  handsome  portrait  of  Governor 
Perry,  with  an  introduction  by  Senator  Hampton,  the  sketch 
of  the  governor's  life  published  in  the  Greenville  News,  and 
some  extracts  from  the  editorial  remarks  of  leading  newspa- 
pers on  the  occasion  of  his  death. 

The  most  valuable  contents,  however,  are  the  speeches  and 
addresses  delivered  by  Governor  Perry  on  several  notable  oc- 
casions and  a  series  of  sketches  of  eminent  American  states- 
men prepared  by  him  at  different  times  during  his  long  and 
busy  life.  The  speeches  and  addresses  should  be  treasured  ; 
they  tell  of  the  position  and  the  sustaining  reasons  of  the 
small  band  of  Union  men  who  opposed  secession  while  stand- 
ingfastby  Democratic  principles  and  the  rights  of  the  South, 
and  are  redolent  of  the  highest  patriotism,  the  purest  integ- 
rity and  clear  understanding  of  the  lessons  of  the  past  and 
the  tendencies  of  differing  systems  of  public  and  private  action. 
The  sketches  are  drawn  with  the  free,  strong  touch  char- 
acteristic of  the  author,  and  give  for  posterity,  life-like,  com- 
pact, invaluable  histories  of  many  men  like  James  Otis,  John 
Adams,  C.  C.  Pinckney,  Christopher  Gadsden,  Patrick  Henry, 
Benjamin  Franklin,  Richard  Henry  Lee,  John  Randolph, 
Gouverneur  Morris  and  David  Ramsey. 

The  book  is  now  on  sale  here  by  H.  J.  Felton  and  R.  G. 
McPherson  and  should  have  a  place  in  every  library  and  col- 
lection—certainly in  South  Carolina.    Price,  |1.50. 


(The  New  Haven  Register,  March  4,  1888  ) 

Biographical  Sketches  of  Eminent  American  Statesmen,  with  Speeches,  Addresses 
and  Letters.  By  Ex-Governor  B.  F.  Perry,  of  Greenville,  S.  C.  For  sale  by 
Judd,  the  Bookseller.    Price  $1.50. 

This  substantial  volume  is  a  memorial  ofoneof  the  staunch- 
est  Union  men  in  the  South  before  the  war.  Although  Gov. 
Perry  "went  with  his  State, "  it  was  only  after  thirty  years 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 


of  couraf>eoii8  defenre  of  the  Union.  His  stand  was  firmly 
taken  at  the  ajie  of  twenty-six  in  a.  Fourth  of  July  oration 
(inoluded  in  the  present  volume),  whic^h  was  delivered  as  the 
Nullification  troubles  were  beginnintz;.  He  resolutely  main- 
tained his  ground  with  a.  defiance  of  any  time-serving  and  in 
the  face  of  fierce  opposition.  At  one  time  he  proposed  to  es- 
tablish a  Union  ])aper  in  Greenville,  S.  C,  when  friends  told 
him  if  he  did  so  neither  his  property  nor  his  life  would  be 
safe.  He  replied  :  "I  will  go  on  with  my  paper  if  it  sinks  my 
fortune  aTid  sa,crifi(res  my  life.''  But  when  the  decisive  step 
had  been  taken  he  felt  he  must  go  with  his  people.  "You  are 
going  to  the  devil  and  I  will  go  with  you,  "  he  answered  with 
a  foresight  of  the  result  of  a  contest  for  slavery  which  few  of 
his  Southern  fiiends  possessed.  After  the  war  he  was  ap- 
pointed Provisional  Governor  by  Johnson,  and  later,  1866, 
was  Senator-elect  from  his  State,  \\  hen  the  Senate  refused  to 
seat  the  Senators  from  South  Carolina.  Gov.  Perry  died  in 
December,  1886.  Leaving  behind  him  a  name  respected  by- 
all.  The  present  volume  contains  a  clear  and  succinct  ac- 
count of  his  life  with  some  of  his  literary  remains.  His  speeches 
are  of  distinct  historical  importance.  They  defend  with  great 
strength  the  value  of  the  Union  to  the  South,  and  illustrate 
the  varying  moods  of  political  life  from  1830  to  1870.  The 
address  at  the  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  the  Cowpens  in 
1885 is  an  impassioned  pleaforpreservingtheintegrity  of  the 
nation. 

The  larger  portion  of  the  present  volume  is  composed  of 
biographical  sketches  of  upwards  of  forty  eminent  men  of  the 
revolutionary  period  and  the  following  genera  tion.  While  the 
most  distinguished  have  been  honored  by  suitable  biographies 
many  of  their  contemporaries,  who  were  active  in  forming 
the  government  and  shap'ng  its  policy,  are  comparatively  lit- 
tle known  to  readers  of  the  present  da,y.  Gov.  Perry,  draw- 
ing on  his  personal  recollections  and  on  those  of  older  men 
whom  he  knew  in  early  life,  wrote  out  these  narratives  in  the 
dai-k  years  of  1868-76.  There  is  something  pathetic  in  the 
picture  of  the  old  man,  surrounded  by  the  political  disorder 
and  ruin  of  his  State  that  was  to  precede  regeneration,  oc- 
cupying himself  with  the  contemplation  of  the  work  and 


10  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 

character  of  the  great  men  who  founded  the  goverment.  The 
frontispiece  is  a  fine  autograph  portrait. 


(The  Charleston  Neva  and  Courier,  March  5,  1888.) 

The  promised  volume  of  biographical  sketches  of  eminent 
American;  statesmen,  with  speeches,  addresses,  and  letters  of 
Ex-Governor  B.  F.  Perry,  of  Greenville,  8.  C,  has  been  pub- 
lished. It  is  a  handsome  volume  of  over  six  hundred  pages, 
and  is  embellished  with  an  admirable  likeness  of  the  lamented 
Carolina  Statesman  and  a  view  of  his  mansion  near 
Greenville. 

The  introduction  to  the  volume  is  written  bj  Senator  Wade 
Hampton,  who  takes  occasion  to  speak  in  the  most  exalted 
terms  of  Governor  Perry.  It  is  indeed  high  praise  to  be  able 
to  say,  with  absolute  truth,  that  "'every  line  that  he  wrote, 
every  word  that  he  uttered',  on  public  affairs,  was  inspired  by 
an  ardent, patriotic  desire  to  promote  the  best  interests  of 
his  Stnte,  and,  in  the  light  of  the  great  events  which  have 
transpired  in  the  last  quarter  of  a  century,  many  of  his« ut- 
terances have  proved  as  pregnant  with  wisdom  as -with  pa- 
triotism." And,  again,  *'  the  example  of  such  a  life  as  Gover- 
nor Perry's,  so  pure,  so  unsullied  in  all  its  private  and  public 
relations,  cannot  fail  to  exert  a  wholesome  and  elevating 
influence  wherever  it  is  known,  and  in  this  view  the  following 
volume  possesses  great  intrinsic  value,  for  it  gives  the  opin- 
ions, the  feeling,  the  very  thoughts  of  the  wi*iter,  expressed 
with  perfect  frankness  and  .vith  commendable  impartiality." 

The  introduction  is  followed  by  a  sketch  of  Governor 
Perry's  life  by  Mr.  A.  B.  Williams.  It  is  thoughtful,  discrim- 
inating and  appreciative.  Some  of  the  articles  published  in 
the  leading  South  Carolina  newspapers  at  the  time  of  Gover- 
nor Perry's  death  are  then  given,  together  with  the  speeches 
i.«  the  Legislature  on  the  sad  occasion,  and  the  memorial 
proceedings  of  the  Greenville  Bar. 

Then  the  interested  reader  comes  to  the  notable  addresses 
delivered  by  Governor  Perry.  The  first  of  these  is  the 
''Fourth  of  July"  oration  at  jJreenville  in  1831,  when  Gov- 
ernor Perry   was  only  25.    The  appeal  to  the  Nullifiers  is 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  11 

most  toiichinp^.  There  are  also  the  addresses  delivered  on 
the  battlefield  of  Cowpeiis  in  1835;  the  address  before  the 
Literary  Societies  of  Erskine  College  in  1844.  and  the  speech 
delivered  in  the  House  of  Representatives  of  South  Carolina 
in  1 850  on  the  subject  of  the  relations  of  the  States  to  the 
Union.  In  this  address  the  political  opinions  and  principles 
of  Governor  Perry  are  set  forth  in  superb  warmth  and  co- 
gency. The  burden  of  the  address  is  that  he  was  in  favor  of 
"  a  rational  and  successful  defence  by  the  union  of  the  South, 
which  will  redress  our  wrongs,  secure  our  rights,  and  preserve 
the  Union  of  the  States."  This  speech.  Governor  Perry  said, 
he  left  "as  a  legacy  to  his  country  and  his  children."  Next 
comes  the  noble  and  notable  speech  of  Governor  Perry  in  the 
National  Democratic  Convention  at  Charleston  in  May, 
1860.  It  is  followed  by  his  address  to  the  Democracy  of  the 
Fifth  Congressional  District  in  1860.  Then  comes  his  letter 
to  the  Charleston  Courier,  dated  August  13,  1860,  and  his 
letter  to  "many  citizens"  of  Charleston. 

After  the  war,  as  is  known.  Governor  Perry  was  elected 
United  States  Senator,  but  was  denied  his  seat.  In  the  vol- 
ume before  us  is  the  unanswerable  letter  which  he  wrote  upon 
that  subject  to  the  National  Intelligencer  of  Washington. 
The  next  paper  is  a  letter  accepting  the  Democratic  nomina- 
tion for  Congress  in  1872,  which  is  followed  by  his  address  to 
his  constituency  after  he  had  been  defeated  by  the  negro 
vote. 

Then  comes  the  thoughtful  and  beautiful  address  on  "The 
Ancients  and  the  Moderns,"  which  was  delivered  before  the 
Cheraw  Lyceum  in  June,  1876. 

The  remainder  of  the  volume  is  occupied  by  Governor 
Perry's  sketches  of  eminent  Americ^an  statesmen.  Among 
these  are  sketches  of  John  Adams,  John  Rutledge,  C.  C.  Pinck- 
ney,  Christopher  Gadsden,  Alexander  Hamilton,  Benjainin 
Franklin,  John  Randolph,  David  Ramsey,  William  Wirt, 
Henry  Lee  and  Wade  Hampton. 

This  description  of  the  addresses  and  of  the  speeches  can 
give  but  a  faint  idea  of  their  value  and  their  worth.  They 
must  be  read  in  order  to  be  appreciated.  They  must  be 
studied  in  order  that  their  fullness  and  depth  may  be  under- 


12  Benjawin  Franklin  Perry. 

stood:  They  are  rich  in  maxims,  in  judicious  council,  in 
happj  phrase.  But,  rich  as  the  published  papars  i;re,  there 
is  much  more  which  has  not  been  told. 

Nowhere  in  the  history  of  the  United  States  is  there  a  more 
heroic  example  of  fortitude  and  devotion  than  is  found  in 
Governor  Perry's  public  life.  Loyal  to  the  South,  to  his 
State,  he  held  fast  to  the  Union  as  the  Palladium  of  our  lib- 
erties, and  would  not  consent  to  its  undoinc^.  As  he  writes 
in  his  journal,  "After  secession  was  accomplished,  I  sat  in 
my  office  and  cried  like  a  child."  The  social  and  political 
pressure  was  enormous.  To  hold  the  opinions  that  he  held 
and  avowed  was  to  close  the  door  to  public  preferment.  But 
he  had  faith  always  that  time  would  brin^i:  him  vindication 
and  restoration.  It  came.  When  the  war  was  over  he  was 
appointed  Provisional  Gov^ernor,  under  the  Reconstruction 
procedure,  and  was  of  signal  benefit  to  his  people.  So,  too, 
he  was  elected  United  States  Senator.  So,  too,  he  was  invi- 
ted to  lead  a  forlorn  hope  as  the  Democratic  candidate  for 
Con<^res8  in  his  District.  While  his  own  people  in  South 
Carolina  turned  to  him  and  depended  upon  hitti,  the  trium- 
phant North,  however,  rejected  him  and  looked  upon  him 
with  distrust.  Conscience  and  principle,  not  self-interest,  had 
ever  been  his  guide,  and  he  could  no  more  swerve  from  the 
right  road  for  the  sake  of  the  victorious  Union  than  to  keep 
company  with  his  own  kith  and  kin  in  nullification  and  se- 
cession. 

In  a  letter  written  to  Mrs.  Perry,  in  1857,  Governor  Perry 
said  : 

'•  In  regard  to  the  abuse  of  me  in  South  Carolina,  it  has  not  come  from  the  gen- 
tlemen of  the  State.  I  do  not  believe  there  is  at  this  time  a  distinguished  man  in 
the  State  who  does  not  most  cordially  respect  and  esteem  me.  Such  is  their  de- 
portment towards  me.  I  shall  leave  a  reputation  for  my  children  which  they  may 
be  proud  of,  and  which  will  not  injure  their  prospects  at  all.  My  reputation  will 
grow  brighter  after  my  decease.  It  is  my  purpose  to  make  a  publication  of  my 
writings  with  a  view  of  doing  justice  to  my  memory  hereafter." 

It  was  not  a  vain  hope  and  belief.  Governor  Perry's  repu- 
tation grew  brighter  year  by  year,  and  is  brighter  than  ever 
before,  now  that,  with  unprejudiced  eye,  the  people  can  look 
upon  the  steadfastness,  the  simplicity,  the  symmetry  of  his 
life. 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  13 

Mrs.  Perry  (lischar<>:os  lovingly  a  tender  duty  towards  her 
distinguished  husband  in  preparing  this  volume  for  publica- 
tion. Surely  there  is  nothing  more  beautiful,  moreinspiring, 
than  the  wifely  love  which  finds  its  highest  pleasure  in 
making  known  to  his  fellow-countrymen  the  patriotism,  the 
foresight,  the  intrepidity,  the  unselfishness  of  the  husband  to 
whom  she  had  been  joined  in  her  youth,  and  with  whom  she 
had  lived  in  entire  concord  and  content,  in  sleekness  and  in 
health,  until  dea.th  parted,  for  a  little  while,  the  two  who  had 
been  one  in  aim,  in  thought,  in  heart  and  desire,  for  long  de- 
cades which  mutual  confidence  and  trust  made  all  too  brief. 
Mrs.  Perry  is  a  model  of  appreciation  and  devotion,  as  Gov- 
ernor E*erry  was  the  exemplar  of  constancy  and  truth. 

The  volume  before  us  is  neatly  bound  and  well  printed.  It 
can  be  obtained  at  Hammond's,  or  of  the  Walker,  Evans  & 
Cogswell  Company,  in  Broad  street,  and  of  E.  Perry  &  Co., 
in  Meeting  street.    Price  ^1.50. 


(The  Augusta  Chronicle,  March  14,  1888.) 

The  promised  volume  of  biographies,  sketches  of  eminent 
American  statesmen  with  speeches,  addresses,  and  letters  of 
ex-Governor  B.  F.  Perry,  of  Greenville,  S.  C,  has  been  pub- 
lished. It  is  a  handsome  volume  of  over  six  hundred  pages, 
and  is  embellished  with  an  admirable  likeness  of  the  lamented 
Carolina  statesman  and  a  view  of  his  mansion  neai*  Green- 
ville. 

South  Carolina  knew  no  more  devoted  son,  no  purer  states- 
man nor  more  honorable  man.  No  stronger  voice  than  B. 
F.  Perry's,  inspired  by  loftier  sentiments  or  more  patriotic 
purposes,  was  ever  heard  within  her  borders  in  defence  of  the 
right  or  in  championship  of  justice.  His  life's  history  will  be 
a  liiilit  in  South  Carolina  annals  for  all  time  to  come,  and 
this  volume  of  biographies  will  be  treasured  as  commemora- 
tive of  his  services  to  his  State  and  his  upright  and  useful 
walk  in  life. 

The  publication  is  prepared  by  Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry— "  a  loving 
and  tender  duty  towards  her  distinguished  husband."  It  ia 
for  sale  at  J.  M.  Richards.    Price  |1.50. 


14  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 

(The  News  and  Herald,  Winnshofb.  S.  C,  March  15th,  1888.) 

This  book  has  been  before  the  public  for  some  time.  It  is 
a  haiKisome  volume  of  six  hundred  pa<i:e8  and  has  an  excel- 
lent photogi*a,ph  of  Gov. 'Perry  and  a  view  of  his  dvvellin<>:. 

Senator  Hampton  writes  the  introduction  and  a,  sketch  of 
Gov.  Perry  written  by  A.  B.  Williams,  of  the  Greenville  News, 
follows.  Then  follows  addresses  delivered  by  Gov.  Pei-ry. 
The  rest  of  the  volume  is  occupied  by  Gov.  Perry's  sketches 
of  Jas.  Otis,  John  Adams,  John  Rutlege,  C.  C.  Pinkney, 
Christopher  Gadsden,  VYm.  H.  Crawford,  Alex.  Hamilton. 
Patrick  Henry,  Benj.  Franklin,  John  Randolph,  Georj>e 
Washington,  David  Ramsey,  William  Wirt,  Henry  Lee  and 
others  prominent  in  our  history. 

The  book  is  a  most  interesting'  one  and  cannot  be  appre- 
ciated unless  fully  read.  Mrs.  Perry  prepared  the  volume  for 
publication  and  it  will  well  repay  any  one  to  peruse  it  care- 
fully. 

For  sale  by  Messrs.  McMaster,  Brice  &  Kitchin.  Price 
11.50. 


(The  Anderson  Intelligencer,  Thursday,  March  15, 1888.) 

Mrs.  Perry,  the  widow  of  the  late  ex-Governor  Perry,  has 
presented  the  Intel  lip, encer  with  a  copy  of  a  book  which 
she  has  recently  published,  and  which  is  made  up  of  bio- 
graphical sketches  of  eminent'  American  statesmen,  with 
speeches,  addresses  and  letters  of  her  distinguished  husband. 
It  is  printed  in  a  very  handsome  style,  contains  six  hundred 
pages;  and  is  embellished  \Vith  an  admirable  likeness  of  Gov- 
ernor Perry,  and  a  view  of  his  mansion  near  Greenville.  The 
introduction  to  the  book  is  written  by  Senator  Hampton, 
who  eulogizes  the  lamented  statesman  in  the  very  highest 
terms.  This  introduction  is  followed  by  a  biographical  sketch 
of  Governor  Perry's  life  by  A.  B.  Williams,  editor  of  the 
Greenville  News.  The  book  is  indeed  a  very  valuable  work, 
and  should  find  its  way  into  the  home  of  every  true  Caroli- 
nian. It  is  sold  at  the  low  price  of  |1.50,  and  can  be  ob- 
tained at  Messrs.  G.  W.  Fant  &  Son's  book  store. 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  15 

(The  Anderson  Journal.  Thursday,  March  15,  1888.) 

The  exceptionall.y  haTidaome  volume  of  six  hundred  pages 
and  over,  just  from  the  press,  containing  a  brief  biography, 
and  press  notices  and  public  speeches  concerning  the  late  ex- 
Governor  Perry,  together  with  a  number  of  his  addresses 
and  sketches  from  his  trenchant  pen,  gives  a  clear  insight  in- 
to the  life  and  character  of  that  eminent  South  Carolinian 
now  gone  to  his  last  rest.  The  volume  at  hand  is  compiled 
h}  the  noble  and  faithful  wife  that  still  survives  him.  In  the 
introduction,  which  is  written  by  Senator  Hampton,  it  is 
fittingly  said  that  "the  example  of  such  a  life  as  Governor 
Perry's,  so  pure,  so  unsullied  in  all  its  private  and  public  re- 
lations, cannot  fail  to  exert  a  wholesome  and  elevating  influ- 
ence wherever  it  is  known,  and  in  this  view  the  following  vol- 
ume possesses  great  intrinsic  value,  for  it  gives  the  opinions, 
the  feehng,  the  very  thoughts  of  the  writer,  expressed  with 
perfect  frankness  and  with  commendable  impartiality." 
There  is  no  one  but  can  read  this  book  with  profit,  but  espe- 
cially should  it  be  in  the  hands  of  the  3^ounger  generation 
now  entering  upon  the  activities  and  responsibilities  of  life. 
It  is  neatly  and  substantially  bound,  and  is  for  sale  by  Geo. 
W.  Fant  &  Son,  Anderson,  S.  C. 


(The  Daily  Sun,  Charleston,  S.  C,  March  16,  1888. 

A  copy  of  the  biographical  sketches  of  eminent  American 
statesmen  by  the  late  ex-Governor  IJ.  F.  Perry  has  been  sent 
to  The  Daily  Sun  by  Mrs.  Perry,  through  the  book  house  of 
Mr.  Hammond,  of  this  city. 

The  name  appended  to  the  title  of  the  book  carries  with  it 
such  sentiments  of  high  respect  and  warm  appreciation  of 
the  author's  character  that  one  is  strongly  induced  to  look 
into  its  contents,  for  his  life  covered  a  period  of  most  mo- 
mentous consequences  in  the  history  of  his  State.  His  strong 
mental  habits,  culture,  grace  of  expression,  studious  care, 
wide  research,  acuteness  of  vision  in  political  matters  and 
sincerity  of  purpose  shine  out  conspicuously  in  these  sketches, 
while  in  just  and  candid  lines  he  portrays  the  characteristics 
of  his  subjects. 

The  book  is  a  valuable  contribution  to  the  literature  of  the 


16  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 

South,  a  feeling  memorial  to  the  illnstrious  men  of  our  be- 
loved State,  and  an  exposition  of  the  pure  patriotism  that 
impelled  their  actions.  To  the  youth  of  our  State  and  coun^ 
try  there  is  much  to  edify  and  exalt  and  encouiaj>ement  to 
earnest  application,  manly  and  persistent  effort  in  right,  and 
determined  resistan<'e  to  what  is  conscientiously  regarded  as 
wrong.  It  is,  too,  of  great  historical  value,  containing  the 
principal  facts  connected  with  the  secession  movement  in 
18G0,  and  the  National  Convention  in  Charleston.  Many 
who  may  not  have  been  able  to  learn  but  scanty  facts  and 
circumstances  relating  to  that  most  exciting  convocation  of 
freemen,  will,  in  this  volume,  be  able  to  f^ee  both  sides  as  then 
considered  by  the  author,  a  Unionist,  and  be  able  to  draw 
conclusions  as  to  facts  piresented. 

The  sketches  of  Revolutionary  patriots  cannot  fail  to  in- 
terest the  mass  of  readers,  and  we  strongly  commend  the  at- 
tentive perusal  to  the  young  of  both  sexes,  but  specially  the 
boys,  who  thereby  may  light  the  tonth  of  patriotism  anew, 
at  the  altars  where  our  forefathers  caught  their  inspiration 
for  constitutional  liberty. 

The  book  is  very  neatly  and  substantially  bound.  For  sale 
at  Hammond's,  Walker,  Evans  &  Cogswell  and  Perry's  book 
stores.    Price  $1.50  per  volume. 


(The  Carolina  Spartan,  Spartanburj?,  S.  C.) 

"Sketches  by  Governor  Perry  of  South  Carolina"  is  a  val- 
uable volume  recently  published.  The  revision  and  compila- 
tion were  made  by  Mrs.  Periy,  the  devoted  wife  of  the  Hon. 
B.  F.  Perry.  The  introduction  is  written  by  Wade  Hampton 
who  greatly  admired  Governor  Perry's  integrity,  patriotism 
and  ability.  The  sketch  of  his  lifeisby  A.  B.  Williams,  editor 
of  the  Greenville  News.  The  book  contains  about  600  pages 
and  it  is  printed  in  good  style  and  on  good  paper.  There  is 
a  full  page  likeness  of  the  Governor,  as  well  as  a  picture  of  his 
elegant  mansion,  Sans  Souci.  After  the  introductory  pages 
and  the  proceedings  of  various  public  bodies  relating  to  the 
Governor's  death,  the  first  thing  is  a  fourth  of  July  oration 
delivered  in  Greenville  in  1831.    Then  follows  an  address  de- 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry,  1 7 


livered  at  the  fifty -fourth  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  Cow- 
pens.  This  was  January  17,  1835.  There  are  very  few  per- 
sons now  living'  that  heard  that  speech.  The  people  of  this 
county  should  buy  the  book  for  that  address.  After  the  va- 
rious addresses  on  important  subjects  are  given  which  will 
interest  and  inform  the  student  of  our  State  history,  about 
half  of  the  volume  is  taken  up  with  sketches  of  prominent 
men,  which  are  most  readable.  Any  young  man  interested  in 
our  recent  history  and  the  men  who  made  it  should  buy  this 
book.  It  will  be  money  well  spent.  For  sale  at  Messrs.  Co- 
field  &  Pettv's.    Price  11.50. 


(Carolina  Spartan,  Spnrtanburg,  S.  €.,  Wednesday,  Mf/k^^X,  iSo^-.)  ■' j.--   nV.. 
(Communicated.)  ■.■  '    •'   *  '''.•..'■ 

A  book  recently  issued,  to  be  found  atCofield,  Petty  &  Co's, 
is  sketches  by  Governor  Perry,  of  South  Carolina.  'The  title 
and  table  of  contents  indicate  the  rich  store  of  unwritten 
history  and  biographical  interest  between  these  pages.  The 
orations,  addresses,  speeches  and  sketches  give  an  index  of 
broad  culture  and  high  character  of  the  author.  After  read- 
ing the  introduction  written  by  Gen.  Hampton  and  the 
sketches  of  Governor  Perry's  life,  by  A.  B.  Williams,  the 
reader  is  prepared  to  more  fully  understand  the  articles  from 
the  pen  of  Governor  Perry,  illustrating,  as  they  do,  the  exci- 
ting period  preceding  the  war  between  the  States,  and  pre- 
senting a  grand  picture  of  the  man  who  did  and  dared  every- 
thing to  preserve  the  Union  of  the  States,  until  secession  was 
accomplished,  then  as  strenuously  labored  to  secure  the  re- 
cognition of  the  Southern  Confederacy.  It  has  been  forcibly 
said,  "  That  he  lost  the  honors  of  his  State  by  being  true  to 
the  Union,  that  he  lost  the  honors  of  the  country  by  being 
true  to  his  State."  In  the  clearer  light  of  history  he  will  at 
last  receive  the  honors  due  to  the  man  who  never  swerved 
from  his  integrity  and  patriotism. 

To  one  wishing  to  inform  himself,  of  the  casus  belli  involved 
in  the  doctrines  of  Nullification,  Secession  and  Union,  no  bet- 
ter exposition  could  be  suggested.  The  fervid  questions  that 
agitated  the  nation  are  illustrated  with  great  force  in  the 


18  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 

Fourth  of  July  Oration,  The  Address  at  Cowpens,  and  other 
speeches  contained  in  the  volume.  Governor  Perry  believed 
from  his  earliest  manhood  :  '•  The  Federal  Constitution,  the 
most  perfect  system  of  civil  policy  that  the  wisdom  of  men 
can  ever  invent."  To  preserve  it,  he  contended  iu  the  arena, 
in  editorial  chair,  the  hustinos,  and  iu  legislative  halls  for 
over  thirty  years.  The  speech  made  in  1850  in  the  House  of 
Representatives,  on  State  and  Federal  affairs,  is  a  master- 
piece of  exhaustive  study  and  close  reasoning.  When  in  1860 
the  South  Carolina  delegation  withdrew  from  the  National 
Democratic  Convention,  Governor  Peri-y  would  not  act  in 
concert  with  his  colleagues,  but  remained  in  the  Convention 
in  the  face  of  the  vituperations  of  the  press  and  people  of 
the  State.  His  vindication  of  his  course,  addressed  to  his 
constituents  in  an  open  letter,  is  a  powerful  summing  up  of 
the  situation.  He  remained  in  the  Convention,  he  declared, 
because  he  believed  the  highest  interests  of  the  State  and 
country  imperiled  by  withdrawal.  He  had  the  moral  courage 
to  stem  popular  opinion,  and  boldly  declared:  "There  is 
much  more  consolation  in  being  right  than  in  being  successful 
when  wrong." 

The  paper  on  National  Restoration,  written,  after  the  re- 
fusal of  the  U.  S.  Senate  in  1866,  to  allow  him  to  take  his 
seat  in  the  Senate,  is  an  epitome  of  the  attitude  of  the  two 
sections  at  that  time. 

Perhaps  to  the  general  reader  the  portion  of  the  book  con- 
taining sketches  of  eminent  American  statesmen,  would 
prove  more  attractive  than  the  first  of  the  volume.  The 
clear  analysis,  the  terse  philosophy,  give  a  charm  to  a 
sprightly  style  of  narrative,  relieving  any  suspicion  of  the 
dullness  often  attached  to  biography.  The  characters  of 
General  Washington,  General  Rutledge,  General  Gadsden, 
John  Randolph,  Gouveneur  Morris,  Benjamin  Franklin, 
Lowndes,  Drayton  and  others,  are  sketched  with  a  force  well 
niffh  dramatic.  The  last  of  these  is  of  Colonel  Roebuck,  a 
Spartanburg  man  who  was  one  ot  "the  Heroes  of  King's 
Mountain." 

The  whole  volume  is  one  w^orth  the  attention  of  the  public, 
as  a  valuable  compendium  of  pleasant  as  well  as  instructive 
matter.  Celina  Means. 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  19 

(The  Carolina  Spartan,  Spartanburg,  S.  C,  Wednesday,  March  21,  1888.) 

The  Kennedy  Library,— The  ti-ustees  return  thanks  for 
the  following  donations  throu<^h  Mrs.  Dr.  Means. 

Mrs.  Gov.  Perry  gives  a  copy  of  the  volume  she  has  recently 
edited,  consisting  of  "Memoirs"  written  by  her  distinguished 
husband.  This  book  has  special  interest  for  all  Carolinians, 
who  wish  to  be  well  informed,  about  the  public  men  of  this 
generation.  These  repeated  proofs  of  the  interest  taken 
in  our  Library,  by  this  venerable  lady,  living  in  another  city, 
call  for  our  special  acknowledgement. 


(The  Baptist  Courier,  Thursday.  March  22,  1888.) 

This  admirable  book  has  an  especial  interest  for  South 
Carolinians,  it  is  a  handsome  volume  containing  more  than 
six  hundred  pages,  and  is  a  worthy  memento  of  the  distin- 
guished citizen  of  whom  it  treats  and  whose  writings  are 
herein  embodied.  Governor  Perry  was  so  widely  known 
that  scarcely  any  one  need  to  be  told  in  this  generation  of  his 
noble  qualities,  and  yet  it  is  meet  to  have  an  introduction  to 
this  volume  from  the  pen  of  one  who  knew  so  well  the  high 
character  and  unflinching  integrity  of  the  man,  so  that  future 
generations  may  rightly  appreciate  his  honorable  career. 
General  Hampton  felt  the  force  of  his  words  in  saying  of  his 
friend  that  "  every  line  that  he  wrote,  every  word  that  he  ut- 
tered on  public  affairs,  were  inspired  b^'  an  ardent,  patriotic 
desire  to  promote  the  best  interests  of  his  State,  and  in  the 
light  of  the  great  events  which  have  transpired  in  the  last 
quarter  of  a  century,  many  of  his  utterances  have  proved  as 
pregnant  with  wisdom  as  with  patriotism."  The  brief  sketch 
of  Governor  Perry's  life  which  follows  the  introductory  chap- 
ter was  written  by  Mr.  A.  B.  AVilliams,  editor  of  the  Green- 
ville Daily  News,  and  is  a  careful  and  appreciative  outline  of 
the  chief  incidents  in  an  eventfnl  life.  Following  this  sketch 
are  a  number  of  extracts  from  newspapers  com  men  ting  upon 
the  death  of  Governor  Perry,  to  which  is  added  the  action  of 
the  Legislature,  in  which  body  he  served  so  long  and  ably, 
and  the  memorial  proceedings  of  the  Greenville  bar.  Nearly 
two  hundred  pages  of  the  book  are  next  occupied  with  some 


20  Bonjamjn  Franklin  Perry. 


of  the  most  notable  speeohew  made  by  Govei-iior  Perry,  be- 
j^innin^  with  a  patriotic  address  when  he  was  quite  a  youth^ 
delivered  on  the  4th  of  July  in  the  Greenville  Baptist  church, 
and  ending  with  an  ornate  lecture  before  the  Cheraw  lyceum 
in  1876.  The  remainder  of  the  volume  is  devoted  to  his 
sketches  of  American  statesmen, includingThomas  Jefferson, 
Benjamin  Franklin,  John  Randolph,  John  Adams,  C.  C. 
Pinckney,  Christopher  Gadsden,  David  Ramsey  and  others. 
Our  space  forbids  further  enumeration  as  to  the  intrinsic 
merits  of  this  volume,  which  has  been  compiled  and  printed 
in  honor  of  the  dead  patriot  and  statesman  through  the 
loving  regard  of  his  devoted  wife.  It  can  be  bought  at  R.  G. 
McPherson's,  Greenville,  S.  C.,and  at  Felton's.     Price  fl.50. 


(The  Keowee  Courier,  Walhalln.  S.  C,  March  22,  1888.) 

Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry  has  our  thanks  for  a  copy  of  the  volume 
recently  published  through  her  exertions  in  memory  of  the 
life,  labors  and  eminent  statesmanship  of  her  lamented  hus- 
band. The  work  contains  over  six  hundred  pages,  and  em- 
braces, besides  public  speeches  and  sketches  of  eminent  states- 
men, a  biographical  sketch  of  the  life  and  character  of  ex- 
Governor  Perry,  prepared  by  Senator  Hampton.  To  our 
readers  who  knew  Governor  Perry  personally,  and  who  de- 
lighted to  honor  him  for  his  pure  and  unselfish  patriotism 
and  devotion  to  duty  in  the  most  trying  period  of  our  coun- 
try's history,  the  work  needs  no  commendation.  His  success 
in  life  in  the  face  of  bitter  political  opposition,  affords  an  in- 
centive to  the  young  to  devotion  to  duty  when  clearly  seen 
and  carefully  studied.  The  just  tribute  of  wisdom  and  honor 
conferred  on  him  by  tlie  present  generation  and  by  the  light 
of  events  foreseen  and  forewarned  is  a  pregnant  lesson  in 
sound  stat3sinanship,  which  time  can  never  efface.  Studious, 
conservative,  firm,  liis  opinions  on  National  politics  have 
been  verified  by  time.  Equally  broad  and  clear  sighted  in 
matters  of  State,  the  reforms,  he  expended  the  meridian  of 
his  life  in  pressing,  have  borne  fruit  in  a  fair  and  just  equili- 
brium of  power  in  the  upper  and  lower  sections  of  the  State. 
Governor  Perry  was  a  model  of  manhood,  atruly  great  man, 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  21 


whose  life  and  writings  should  be  read  and  studied  by  the 
risinji'  generation,  especially  the  present  work,  which,  mainly 
biographical,  points  out  and  comments  on  the  character  and 
services  of  the  great  men  of  the  past  generation  and  their 
path  to  greatness.  The  book,  neatly  bound,  can  be  bought 
of  Mr.  T.  E.  Stribling,  Postmaster  at  Walhalla.    Price  |1.50. 


(Seneca  Free  Press,  March  23,  1888.)  * 

Mrs.  Perry,  the  widow  of  ex-Governor  B.  F.  Perry,  has  pre- 
sented us  with  a  pamphlet  in  memoriam  to  her  noble  and  dis- 
tinguished husband;  also,  with  the  address  delivered  by  Gov- 
ernor  Perry  before  the  Literary  Societies  of  Erskine  College. 
Mrs.  Perry  has  recently  published  a  book  made  up  of  bio- 
graphical sketches  of  eminent  American  statesmen,  with  ad- 
dresses, letters  and  speeches  of  her  husband.  This  book  is 
sold  at  the  low  price  of  f  1.50. 


(Atlanta  Constitutiom,  March  24,  1888.) 

Sketches  by  Governor  Perry,  the  Ferree  Co.,  Philadelphia.  In  this  handsome  vol- 
ume will  be  found  a  biography  of  the  Honorable  Benjamin  F.  Perry,  the  Recon.. 
struction  Governor  of  South  Carolina,  with  a  collection  of  his  speeches  and 
addresses. 

After  the  war,  as  is  known.  Governor  Perry  was  elected 
United  States  Senator,  but  was  denied  his  seat.  In  the  vol- 
ume before  us  is  the  unanswerable  letter  which  he  wrote  upon 
that  subject  to  the  National  Intelligencer  of  Washington. 
The  next  paper  is  a  letter  accepting  the  Democratic  nomina- 
tion for  Congress  in  1872,  which  is  followed  by  his  address  to 
his  constituency  after  he  had  been  defeated  by  the  negro  vote. 

Then  comes  the  thoughtful  and  beautiful  address  on  '"The 
Ancnents  and  Moderns,''  which  was  delivered  before  the  Che- 
raw  Lyceum  in  June,  1876. 

The  remainder  of  the  volume  is  occupied  by  Governor 
Perry's  sketches  of  eminent  American  statesmen.  Among 
these  are  sketches  of  John  Adams,  C.  C.  Pinckney,  Christo- 
pher Gadsden,  Alexander  Hamilton,  Benjamin  Franklin,  John 


22  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 

Kandolph,  David  Kamsey,    William   Wirt,  Henry  Lee  and 
Wade  Hairiptoii.     Price  |'l.50. 

For  sale  by  Wilson  &  Bruchner,  PI  H.  &  J.  Thornton,  and 
S.  P.  Richards  &  Son. 


(The  Cheraw  Reporter,  March  27,  1888.) 

''Sketches  by  Governor  Perry,  of  South  Carolina,"  is  the 
title  of  a  volume  recently  published  by  "The  Ferree  Press," 
.of  Philadelphia.  This  book,  as  its  name  implies, is  a  volume 
of  biographical  sketches  of  distinguished  men  in  South  Car- 
olina, and  other  States — men  whose  lives  and  actions  have 
contributed  much  to  the  make-up  of  the  history  of  this 
country.  In  the  perusal  of  the  lives  of  such  men  as  Arthur 
Middleton,  Charles  Cotesworth  Pinckney,  Thomas  Jefferson, 
Alexander  Hamilton,  John  Randolph,  Fisher  Ames,  Felix 
Grundy,  John  Marshall, Patrick  Henry  and  John  Adams, the 
reader  must  feel  that  he  is  readinf>:  the  history  of  his  own 
country.  The  lives  of  these  men  are  so  intimately  associated 
with  all  the  great  principles  and  stirring  events  that  came  up 
for  consideration  in  their  day,  they  may  be  said  to  contiib- 
ute  largely  to  the  history  of  the  Republic  of  America. 

In  addition  to  the  concise  and  interesting  sketches  of  the 
lives  and  chai-acters  of  those  great  men,  the  book  contains 
much  other  valuable  matter,  such  as  lectures  and  addresses 
on  various  occasions.  Among  these  miscellaneous  pieces  are 
the  beautiful  address  to  the  students  of  Erskine  College  and 
the  able  and  interesting  lecture  before  the  Cheraw  Lyceum  in 
June,  1876.  We  do  not  doubt  that  all  who  heard  this  lecture 
will  be  glad  to  read  it  in  print.  It  is  full  of  valuable  informa- 
tion and  is  written  in  fine  style.  It  is  one  of  Governor  Perry's 
best  efforts. 

We  would  think  that  every  South  Carolinian  would  wish  to 
own  a  copy  of  this  book,  for  from  its  pages  he  can  at  a  mo- 
ment refresh  his  memory  as  to  facts  in  the  lives  of  the  great 
men  of  his  State  and  country.  Besides,  it  is  pleasant  to  be 
constantly  reminded  that  South  Carolina  numbered  among 
her  native  born  citizens  as  noble  a  man  as  Governor  B.  F. 
Perry. 

This  book  is  for  sale  at  McCreight  &  Wannamaker's,  at  the 
very  low  price  of  |1.50. 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  23 

(Boston  Advertiser,  March  31,  1888.) 

Biographical  Sketches  of  Eminent  American  Statesmen,  with  Speeches,  Addresses 
and  Letters,  by  ex-Governor  B.  F.  Perry,  of  Greenville,  S.  C.  Introductory  by 
Senator  Wade  Hampton.  Prefaced  by  an  outline  of  the  author's  life.  The 
Ferree  Press,  Philadelphia,  1887. 

"Many  men  have  many  minds,"  is  a  say  in  <>' which  strength- 
ens in  its  truth  and  significance  with  the  degree  of  the  impor- 
tance of  i3he  subject  which  illustrates  it.  Each  addition  to 
our  stock  of  literature  about  our  civil  war,  especially  of  vol. 
umes  which  disclose  the  opinions,  characters  and  positions  of 
our  public  men  in  it.  Northern  or  Southern,  adds  to  the  va- 
riety and  individuality  of  the  views  entertained  about  it  and 
of  the  relations  assumed  towards  it.  The  questions  which 
are  opened  and  which  will  be  endlessly  discussed  about  that 
war  are  such  as  these :  Was  it  inevitable  or  avertible?  Was 
it  right  or  wrong?  Was  it  hopeful  of  success  in  its  primary 
object,  or  partialh^  hopeless?  Could  men  of  equal  intelli- 
gence, sincerity  and  integrity  of  charactertake  opposite  sides 
in  it,  or  was  there  on  one  side  a  vitiating,  on  the  other  an 
ennobling,  element  indicating  respectively  the  lack  or  the 
presence  of  the  highest  quality  in  wisdom  or  principle?  And 
these  alternatives  might  be  multiplied  indefinitely.  As  we 
have  intimated,  each  successive  biographical  volume  intro- 
ducing to  us  the  opinions  held  and  the  course  taken  by  men 
in  public  station  during  the  war  gives  us  some  varying  illus- 
tration of  the  proverb  which  we  have  quoted.  This  state- 
ment finds  a  very  striking  confirmation  of  its  truth  in  the 
contents  of  the  volume  now  before  us,  and  in  the  sketch  of 
the  character  and  the  course  of  its  subject. 

Benjamin  Franklin  Perry  became  first  known,  and  then  fa- 
vorably, in  this  section  of  the  country  in  1844,  when,  as  a 
member  of  the  Senate  of  South  Carolina,  he  gave  his  solitary 
vote  against  a  resolution  offered  in  it  for  the  expulsion  from 
the  State  of  Mr.  Samuel  Hoar,  who  had  been  sent  there  by 
Massachusetts  to  protest  against  the  police  law  by  which 
colored  men,  seamen,  stewards,  cooks,  etc.,  were  taken  from 
Massachusetts  vessels  on  their  arrival  and  imprisoned,  at  the 
expense  of  the  owners,  till  the  vessels  left  port.  This  act, 
which  subjected  Mr.  Perry  to  great  obloquy,  was  significant 


24  Beujajinin  Franklin  Perry. 


of  the  position  which  he  assumed,  and  steadily  maintained, 
as  a  minority  of  one,  till  the  opening  of  the  war,  and  which 
barred  his  public  advancement  in  political  life  among  his  fel- 
low-citizens. 

There  is  a  discrepancy  between  two  statements  which  we 
find  in  this  volume  as  to  the  ancestry  of  Mr.  Perry. 

In  the  biographical  sketch  of  him  we  read  that  his  father 
was  a  native  of  Massachusetts  of  English  descent,  of  the 
same  stock  as  Commodore  Oliver  Perry.  The  father  went  to 
Charleston,  S.  C,  in  1784,  and  afterward  removed  to  Green- 
ville, where  he  was  married.  But  the  son,  in  one  of  his  earn- 
est speeches  in  the  State  House  of  Representatives  in  1850. 
deprecating  the  secession  spirit,  said  :  "  There  is  no  ti^^  that 
binds  a  man  to  his  native  State  that  I  do  not  f^el  for  Caro- 
lina. Here,  sir,  I  was  born  and  brought  up.  Here  I  have 
lived,  and  here  I  expect  to  die.  Here,  too,  repose  the  remains 
of  niy  ancestors."  (*)  Nor  does  it  relieve  the  discrepancy  much 
to  state  that  his  mother  was  a  Virginian.  But,  howeverthis 
may  be,  Mr.  Perry  was  heart  and  soul  a  South  Carolinian, 
proud  of  his  birth-State,  warm  with  the  ardor  and  spirit  of 
its  people,  intent  upon  upholding  its  local  rights.  In  every 
public  utterance  made  by  him,  including  his  impassioned  ap- 
peal in  the  National  Democratic  Convention  in  Charleston  in 
1860,  he  avows  his  approval  of  slavery,  his  belief  in  the 
rightfulness  and  even  blessed  influences  and  workings  of  the 
institution  as  a  method  of  civilizing  Africans.  He  believed 
and  warned  his  people  that  a  disruption  of  the  Union  would 
bring  the  institution  to  an  absolut-e  extinction.  He  said  of 
slavery:  "I  will  be  as  ready  as  any  one  to  defend  it  at  the 
sacrifice  of  the  Union  itself,  as  much  as  I  value  the  Union." 
Here  certainly  is  a  marked  type  of  individuality  in  a  man 
and  in  an  opinion.  Strong,  however,  as  these  asseverations 
were,  they  could  not  diminish  the  hostility  and  opprobrium 
which  he  brought  on  himself  as  his  hearers  glared  on  him 
while  he  argued  and  pleaded  and  protested  against  theblind- 


*  Note. — He  should  have  said,   "  Here,  too,  repose  the  remains  of  my  parents.' 
It  was  what  he  meant. 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  25 


iiess,  stupidity  and  folly  with  which  they  were  rushing  to 
their  ruin.  As  he  walked  through  the  streets  of  Charleston, 
after  the  discussion  in  the  Convention,  he  was  hissed  on  ac- 
count of  the  noble  stand  he  had  taken,  (this  one  brave  Union 
man),  to  prevent  the  breaking  up  of  the  Convention;  which 
he  knew  would  result  in  the  breaking  up  of  the  Democratic 
party  in  the  United  States,  and  be  fatal  to  the  South. 

He  would  not  withdraw  with  other  Southern  delegates  in 
the  Charleston  Convention  when  it  broke  into  factions,  but 
stood  for  his  candidate  for  the  Presidency  under  a  storm  of 
hisses,  through  which,  however,  he  made  himself  heard. 
Again  he  fought  secession  in  the  Convention  of  his  State  to 
declare  the  dissolution  of  the  Union  in  1860.  None  the  less 
he  followed  his  State  in  its  exit,  pronouncing  on  it  the  bene- 
diction: "You  are  all  going  to  the  devil,  and  I  will  go  with  • 
you."  Being  56  years  of  age,  he  did  not  enter  active  service, 
being  represented  there  by  his  eldest  son,  but  was  loyal  to 
the  Confederacy  as  Commissioner,  member  of  the  Legislature, 
District  Attorney  and  Judge,  and  he  spoke  his  full  share  of 
fiery  oratory.  At  the  close  of  the  war  President  Johnson, 
with  general  approbation,  appointed  him  Provisional  Gov- 
ernor of  his  State.  He  was  denied  the  seat  in  the  National 
Senate  to  which  he  was  elected,  and  failed  of  election  when 
nominated  to  the  House  of  Representatives,  (t)  He  con- 
temptuously opposed  the  carpet-ba.ggers  and  the  Reconstruc- 
tion measures. 

With  strong  friends  and  enemies,  he  was  pure  and  exem- 
plary in  private  life.  It  is  pleasant  to  read  that  in  his  stormy 
career  he  enjoyed  and  occupied  himself  with  literary  pursuits 
in  a  well-furnished  library.  The  fruits  of  his  studies  fill  the 
larger  part  of  this  solid  volume,  in  which,  besides  lectures, 
we  have  a  series  of  sketches  of  eminent  American  statesmen 
all  over  the  country,  especially  those  of  the  Revolutionary 
period.  These  are  written  with  ability,  with  appreciation 
and  general  impartiality.  It  is  refreshing  to  read  the  strong 
and  positive  utterances  of  a  man  of  such  strength  and  inde- 
pendence of  mind,  backed  by  sincerity  and  integrity  of  pur- 
pose.   He  died  in  1886  at  the  age  of  81. 

For  sale  by  Damrell  &  Upham. 

t  He  was  defrauded  of  his  election  by  the  Radicals. 


^6  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 

(The  Daily  Advertiser,  Montgomery,  Alabama,  April  19.  1888. 

One  of  South  Carolina's  most  distinguished  and  most  use- 
ful sons  was  the  Honorable  B.  F.  Perry.  He  did  not  a^ree 
with  the  dominant  sentiment  of  the  State,  and  opposed  Nul- 
lification when  it  was  the  great  issue,  and  was  equally  op- 
posed to  set^ession  in  1860.  But  he  was  true  and  loyal  to  his 
State  during  the  dark  and  dreary  days  of  the  war,  and  as 
soon  as  hostilities  ceased  was  actively  at  work  in  the  interest 
of  the  people.  He  was  a  powerful  man  with  pen  and  voice, 
and  no  man  ever  had  the  confidence  of  those  who  knew  him 
to  a  fuller  extent.  Recently  a  volume  has  been  published 
containing  a  sketch  of  his  life,  together  with  his  addresses 
and  letters  on  important  subjects.  It  is  a  very  handsome 
book  of  over  600  pages  and  is  embellished  with  an  admirable 
likeness  o^  the  distinguished  South  <^arolinian,  and  a  view  of 
his  home  near  Greenville.  Senator  Hampton  wrote  the  in- 
troduction to  the  volume,  and  it  is  certainly  high  praise  to 
be  able  to  say,  as  he  does  of  Governor  Perry,  that  "Every 
line  tnat  he  wrote,  every  word  that  he  uttered  on  public  af- 
fairs, was  inspired  by  an  ardent  desire  to  promote  the  best 
interests  of  the  State,  and,  in  light  of  the  great  events  which 
have  transpii'ed  in  the  last  quarter  of  a  century,  many  of  his 
utterances  have  proved  as  pregnant  with  wisdom  as  with 
patriotism."  And  again,  "The  example  of  such  a  life  as 
Governor  Perry's,  so  pure,  so  unsullied  in  all  its  private  and 
public  relations,  cannot  fail  to  exert  a  wholesome  and  eleva- 
ting influence  wherever  it  is  known,  and  in  this  view  the 
following  volume  possesses  great  intrinsic  value,  for  it  gives 
the  opinions,  the  feeling,  the  very  thoughts  of  the  writer,  ex- 
pressed with  perfect  frankness  and  with  commendable  impar- 
tiality." 

This  book  is  for  sale  in  Montgomery  by  Mr.  W.  C.  Holt. 
Price  11.50. 


(Boston  Post.) 

The  "  Biographical  Sketches"  by  ex-Governor  Perry  have 
been  'highly  spoken  of  by  leading  newspapers.  The  reviewer 
of  the  Boston  Post  says : 

"The  late  Governor  Perry  was  for  more  than  fifty  years  a 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  27 

conspicuous  figure  in  the  politics  and  law  o^  South  Carolina. 
Born  in  that  State  in  1805  of  New  Enjrland  descent,  he  was 
intensely  provincial  in  his  feelings,  while  at  the  same  time, 
down  to  the  breaking  out  of  the  Rebellion,  he  was  ardently 
devoted  to  the  Union.  He  regarded  slavery  as  an  undis- 
guised blessing,  and  he  saw  very  clearly  what  Calhoun  and 
Jefferson  Davis  and  the  rest  of  them  fortunately  did  not  see 
— that  if  the  Union  were  broken  up,  slavery  would  be  doomed  ; 
and  he  therefore  stoutly  resisted  both  nullification  and  se- 
cession. Bu^  when  his  State  tried  to  get  out  of  the  Union, 
he  cast  in  his  fortunes  with  her,  and  held  several  offices  under 
the  Confederate  government.  When  the  Confederacy  went  to 
pieces,  he  returned  to  his  natural  allegiance,  but  he  brought 
out  of  the  struggle  an  unaccustomed  bitterness,  from  which 
he  never  recovered,  though  he  lived  twenty  years  longer.  He 
died  in  December,  1886,  having  just  completed  his  81st  year^ 

By  far  the  most  interesting  and  important  part  of  the  vol- 
ume of  his  collected  speeches  and  writings  now  before  us,  and 
one  which  has  a  permanent  value,  is  that  which  relates  to 
politics.  It  well  illustrates  one  phase  of  life  and  thought  at 
the  South,  both  before  and  after  the  rebellion.  It  comprises 
the  speech  in  favor  of  the  preservation  of  the  Union,  deliv- 
ered in  the  South  Carolina  House  of  Representatives  in  De- 
cember. 1850 ;  a  short  speech  in  the  National  Democratic 
Convention  at  Charleston,  in  May,  1860,  giving  his  reasons 
for  notwithdrawingfromthe  Convention  with  his  colleagues; 
an  address  to  his  constituents  in  further  explanation  of  his 
course,  and  a  letter  on  disunion  written  a  few  months  later; 
a  letter  to  the  National  Intelligencer  in  1866,  on  national 
restoration ;  and  one  or  two  other  papers  of  lesser  impor- 
tance, besides  incidental  reference  to  the  subject.  These  doc- 
uments all  have  an  historical  value  and  they  are  well  worth 
being  put  into  a  permanent  form.  They  show  the  point  of 
view  and  the  course  of  argument  adopted  by  a  strong  and 
able  man,  who  as  well  as  any  one  represented  the  opinions  of 
the  minority  in  the  Southern  States. 

Besides  these  political  papers  there  are  a  Fourth  of  July 
oration,  delivered  when  he  was  25,  an  anniversary  address 


28  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 


in  commemoration  of  the  battle  of  Cowpens,  of  which  the 
best  part  has  a  political  V)earing,  and  some  other  literary 
addresses  which  indicate  taste  and  (culture,  but  do  not  re- 
quire special  notice.  The  last  half  of  the  volume  comprises 
a  series  of  biographical  sketches,  written  between  1866  and 
1876,  apparently  for  pubhcation  in  the  local  newspapers. 
They  are  about  forty  in  number,  and  include  many  of  the 
most  prominent  men,  North  and  South,  of  the  Revolutionary 
era  and  of  a  later  period.  They  are  the  fruit  of  study,  rather 
than  of  observation  ;  for  Mr.  Pei-ry  saw  but  few  of  the  men 
whose  lives  he  nari-ates,  and  there  are,  therefore,  few  personal 
reminiscences.  But  the  sketches  are  well  adapted  to  the  pur- 
pose for  which  they  were  written. 
For  sale  at  Damrell  &  Upham's. 


(The  Darliufiton  News,  Darlington,  S   C,  ThunsdMy,  May  17,  1888. 

Biographical  sketches  of  eminent  American  statesmen,  with 
speeches,  addresses  and  letters  by  ex-Governor  B.  F.  Ferry, 
of  South  Carolina,  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  books  recently 
published.  It  contains  an  introductory  by  Senator  Wade 
Hamjjton,  whi(-h  is  very  fine  in  itself.  Every  family  in  the 
State  should  have  a  copy  of  this  excellent  work.  This  book 
is  for  sale  at  the  News  office.    Price  f  1.50. 


(The  Times-Union.  .Jacksonville,  Fla.,  July  12,  1888. 

I'rom  the  Ferree  I*ress  of  Philadelphia  comes  a  neatly 
bound  and  well  printed  volume  entitled :  "Biographical 
Sketches  of  Eminent  American  Statesmen,  with  Speeches, 
Addresses,  and  Eetters  by  ex-Governor  B.  F.  Perry  of  South 
Carolina."  The  book  has  been  compiled  and  published  by 
the  wife  of  the  eminent  South  Carolinian  in  memory  of  him 
and  his  life  work.  It  contains  over  600  pages,  and  is  embel- 
lished with  an  admirable  likeness  of  the  late  ex-Governor, 
and  a  view  of  his  mansion,  "SansSouci,"  near  Greenville. 

The  introduction  to  the  volume  is  written  by  Senator 
Wade  Hampton,  who  takes  occasion  to  speak  in  the  most 
>^xalted  terms  of  Governor  Perry.    It  is  indeed  high  praise  to 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  29 


be  able  to  say,  with  absolute  truth,  that  "every  line  that  he 
wrote,  every  word  that  he  uttered  on  public  affairs,  was  in- 
spired by  an  ardent  patriotic  desire  to  promote  the  best  in- 
terests of  his  State,  and,  in  the  light  of  the  great  events 
which  have  transpired  in  the  last  quarter  of  a  century,  many 
of  his  utterances  have  proved  as  pregnant  with  wisdom  as 
with  patriotism."  And,  again,  "the  example  of  such  a  life 
as  Governor  Perry's,  so  pure,  so  unsullied  in  all  its  private 
and  public  relations,  cannot  fail  to  exert  a  wholescnie  and 
elevating  influence  wherever  it  is  known;  and  in  this  view  the 
following  volume  possesses  great  intrinsic  value,  for  it  gives 
the  opinions,  the  feeling,  the  very  thoughts  of  the  writer,  ex- 
pressed with  perfect  frankness  and  with  commendable  impar- 
tiality." 

A  sketch  of  Governor  Perry's  life  follows  au^  then  the  most 
notable  of  his  public  addresses,  among  them  his  famous 
Fourth  of  July  oration  of  1831,  when  he  was  only  25  years 
of  age. 

The  remainder  of  the  volume  is  occupied  by  Governor  Perry's 
sketches  of  eminent  American  statesmen.  Among  these  are 
sketches  of  John  Adams,  John  Rutledge,  C.  C.  Pinckney, 
Christopher  Gadsden,  Alexander  Hamilton,  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin, John  Randolph,  David  Ramsay,  William  Wirt,  Henry 
Lee  and  Wade  Hampton. 

The  description  of  the  addresses  and  of  the  speeches  can 
give  but  a  faint  idea  of  their  value  and  their  worth.  They 
must  be  read  in  order  to  be  appreciated.  They  must  be 
studied  in  order  that  their  fullness  and  depth  may  be  under- 
stood. They  are  rich  in  maxims,  in  judicious  counsel,  in 
happy  phrase.  But,  rich  as  the  published  papers  are,  there 
is  much  more  which  has  not  been  told. 


LETTERS 

Expressing  the  Appreciation  of  the  Writers 

FOR — 

"The  Reminiscences"  and  "  Biograpliicai  Sl(etcfies  of  Eminent  American  Statesmen," 

By  governor  PERRY. 


WiNNSBono,  S.  C  May  8.  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry,  Green  ville,  S.  C, 

Dear  Madam  :  You  will  permit  me  to  thank  youforacopy 
of  the  volume,  "Sketches,''  by  Governor  Perry,  just  received. 
I  shall  value  it  very  hi<^hly  for  many  reasons,  not  the  least 
amonpi;  which  is  that  it  contains  a  slight  memorial  of  the  life 
and  public  services  of  its  illustric^us  author.  I  will  be  glad 
when  the  full  story  of  Governor  Perry's  life  has  been  told  by 
an  historian  worthy  of  the  task — when  his  splendid  example 
of  heroic  devotion  to  principle  which  is  now  the  proud  herit- 
age of  his  countrymen  shall  have  been  made  the  common 
property  of  men  in  all  time  to  come. 

You  will  pardon  me  for  writing  so  much  at  length,  but  I 
cannot  pass  very  lightly  anything  which  relates  even  indi- 
rectly to  Governor  Perry,  whose  character  I  admire  above 
that  of  all  the  public  men  whom  South  Carolina  has  pro- 
duced. It  seems  to  me,  as  I  look  back  over  the  history  of  the 
State  for  the  past  half  century,  that  he  towers  a  colossus 
above  all  of  his  cotemporaries,  and  I  am  persuaded  that  his 
example  for  good  will  be  felt,  and  his  words  of  wisdom  heard 
when  the  noisy  babble  of  his  inferior  but  successful  opponents 
shall  have  passed  into  eternal  silence. 

Thanking  you  again  for  the  book,  I  remain 

Very  respectfully  your  obedient  servant, 

Edward3.  Ragsdale. 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  31 

Santa  Barbara,  Cal.,  May  31,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry,  Greenville,  S.  (., 

My  Dear  Cousin:  1  ha,(l  the  pleasure  of  receiving  recently 
(throuo:li  the  mail)  the  book  you  were  so  kind  as  to  send  me, 
containirjt^  the  \vritin<»s,  &c.,  of  your  late  husband,  and,  I  may 
add,  my  highly  esteemed  friend.  I  am  readingit  with  pleasure, 
from  time  to  time,  and  the  very  interesting  address  to  the 
students  of  Erskine  College,  (which  in  pamphlet  form  you 
formerly  sent  me),  I  sent,  for  the  special  perusal  of  my  young- 
est son,  Arthur  P.  Hayne,  now  at  the  State  University,  as 
inculcating  very  useful  lessons  of  wisdom  and  instruction. 

It  was  a  pleasure  to  be  thus  remembered  by  my  relatives, 
now  living  at  so  great  a  distance.  While  a  sense  of  the  dut^^ 
I  owed  to  my  youngest  sons  led  me  to  emigrate  (at  the  ter- 
rible period  of  the  "Reconstruction  times")  to  this  State,  and 
thus  to  open  to  them  a  fair  field  for  success,  my  heart  v/ill 
yet  always  turn  with  a  sad  but  loving  remembrance  of  my 
dear  old  native  State.  I  have  suceeded  fairly  in  my  new 
home,  and  my  sons  have,  thank  God,  not  disappointed  my 
hopes. 

We  (you  and  I)  are  both  of  us  now  aged.  We  cannot  ex- 
pect our  lives  to  be  prolonged  much  longer;  indeed,  at  our 
time  of  life  we  necessarily  live  much  in  the  past,  and  it  is  a 
solace  to  our  declining  years,  that  for  both  of  us,  our  past 
has  been  one  which  has  not  cast  a  shadow  upon  our  present. 
The  unfortunate  civil  war  has,  under  the  good  providence  of 
God,  worked  out  for  us  such  lessons  of  good  as  will  tend  to 
make  us,  T  trust,  wiser  and  better. 

I  shall  always  feel  an  interest  in  the  welfare  of  all  my  rela. 
tives  in  South  Carolina,  and  in  none  more  than  in  you  and 
yours.  Please  remember  me  kindly  to  my  cousins,  and  be- 
lieve me  to  be 

Very  affectionately  yours, 

VV.  Alston  Hayne. 

(The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  letter.) 

Chester,  S.  C,  July  16, 1888. 
My  Dear  Mrs.  Perry  :    I  have  your  letter  of  the  11th  and 
answer  it  to-day. 


32  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 

In  all  my  life  I  do  not  know  that  my  heart  has  been  ever 
more  touched  than  in  readino-its  contents.     ****** 

I  know  as  to  this  I  write  to  one  whose  heart  in  this  regard 
must  be  in  sympathy  and  union  with  my  own.  Your  love 
and  veneration  for  Governor  Perry,  your  devotion  to  pre- 
serving the  memory  of  his  usefulness  and  greatness,  is  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  instances  of  ti'ue  affection  which  can  be 
found  anywhere.  Yours  has  not  been  the  mere  conventional 
mourning  of  a  widow  for  a  kind  husband,  but  it  has  been  a 
loving  purpose  to  rescue  his  name  and  famefrom  the  oblivion 
which  has  followed  the  death  of  so  many  strong  men  at  the 
South.  Take  two  of  Governor  Ferry's cotemporaries,  (older 
men  however),  VVaddy  Thompson  and  VVarren  R.  Davis. 
They  were  both  men  of  fine  intellects  and  had  been  even  more 
in  public  life  than  your  husband.  Their  very  names  are  al- 
most forgotten.  Not  so  with  Governor  Perry.  The  exertions 
of  a  devoted  wife  have  given  him  a  lasting  and  honored  place 
in  the  history  of  our  State  and  country.  I  hope  to  be  able 
to  visit  Greenville  about  the  last  of  August  and  have  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  you. 

Yours  most  respectfully  and  gratefully, 

S.  Prioleau  Hamilton. 


Fairmount  College,  Mont  Eagle,  Tenn.,  Sept.  6, 1888. 

My  Dear  Mrs.  Perry  :  A  short  time  before  Vardry  Mc- 
Bee's  death  I  called  on  him  in  Greenville  and  we  had  an 
earnest  and  most  pleasant  conversation.  When  about  to 
say  good  bye  I  noticed  a  copy  of  "  Reminiscences  by  Governor 
Perry,'*  and  showing  interest  in  the  book  I  was  urged  by  him 
to  take  it  with  me.  Before  I  returned  it  he  died,  and  Aunt 
Susan  asked  me  to  keep  it  in  memory  of  Vardry,  thus  giving 
the  book,  which  was  already  fully  appreciated  by  reason  of 
its  intrinsic  worth  and  the  distinguished  life  of  the  author,  a 
new  value  to  me. 

My  brother.  Dr.  McBee,  who  is  at  present  with  me,  has  en- 
joyed the  book  exceedingly,  and  a  few  days  ago  handed  it  to 
Judge  Lea,  of  Nashville,  saying  as  he  did  so  :  "  Judge,  here 
is  a  book  you  will  enjoy." 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  S8 


Wheti  Judj>:e  Lea  returned  it  his  langnaoe  and  enthusiasm 
were  so  pleasing'  that  I  asked  him  to  put  in  writing  what  he 
had  said  to  me,  and  on  yesterday  I  received  the  enclosed  let- 
ter, which  it  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  present  to  you. 

I  often  wished  to  express  to  you  my  estimate  of  Governor 
Perry,  but  the  opinion  of  a  distinguished  man  like  Judge  Lea 
is  of  so  much  more  value,  and  he  has  expressed  my  senti- 
ments with  so  much  grace  and  strength,  that  I  adopt  his 
language  and  send  it  as  my  own. 

eludge  Lea  was  for  a  long  time  on  the  Supreme  Bench  of 
this  State,  and  his  opinions,  I  am  told,  are  quoted  more  than 
those  of  any  other  member  of  that  high  Court.  He  is  now 
the  President  of  the  Tennessee  Historical  Society  and  is  the 
moving  spirit  in  its  great  work. 

You  were  kind  enough  to  send  me  a  copy  of  the  letters  re- 
ceived by  yourself  after  Governor  Perry's  death,  and  because 
I  have  delayed  expressing  my  pleasure  at,  and  appreciation 
of,  your  kind  consideration,  I  am  sure  you  will  not  deny  me 
the  privilege  of  doing  so  now,  nor  the  less  appreciate  my 
earnestness.    I  am  with  high  esteem, 

Most  respectfully, 

Silas  McBee. 


Mont  Eagle,  Sept.  4,  1888. 
Silas  McBee,  Esq., 

My  Dear  Sir:  I  return  the  book  with  my  thanks  and 
cannot  refrain  from  expressing  the  great  pleasure  I  have  de- 
rived from  its  perusal.  Of  almost  every  one  of  the  distin- 
guished personages  of  whose  lives  Governor  Perry  gives  such 
an  interesting  account,  I  had  some  general  knowledge,  and 
with  eight  or  ten  of  them  I  enjoyed  a  personal  acquaintance, 
having  heard  them  speak  in  Legislative  assemblies  and  con- 
verse in  social  circles;  and  Governor  Perry  has  certainly  suc- 
ceeded in  apprehending,  and  also,  in  expressing  in  a  happy 
style  and  manner  the  strong  and  prominent  traits,  intellec- 
tual and  moral,  which  mark  and  differentiate  the  respective 
characters  of  these  eminent  men. 

The  life  of  one  person  whose  name  does  not  appear  in  the 


S4  Btinjamw  Franklin  Perry. 


index  of  siibjents  has  also  been  un  witting-ly  and  uiiconsciously 
written,  and  that  is  a  life  of  the  author.  From  what  he  so 
gracefullj^  says  of  others,  we  can  readily'  infer  what  could  be 
truthfully  said  of  himself.  A  man  must  possess  more  than 
ordinary  strength  and  beauty  of  character,  who  for  a  long 
series  of  years  stood  firm  on  the  weaker  side,  fought  coui'age- 
ously  for  what  he  conceived  to  be  the  right,  and  yet  retained 
the  respect  and  friendship  of  those  whom  he  strenuously  op- 
])Osed.  The  unaffected  pleasure  with  which  he  sets  forth  the 
excellencies  and  virtues  of  his  associates  at  the  bar  and  in 
politics — his  rivals — discloses  a  generous  nature  and  perfect 
freedom  from  anything  savoring  of  jealousy  and  selfishness. 
He  must  have  been  an  admirable  man — a  loveable  character. 

Very  truly. 

John  M.  Lea. 


Mont  Eagle.  Tenn.,  Sept.  15,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Pkhry, 

Dear  Madam  :  On  my  return  to  my  mountain  cottage  1 
found  a  copy  of  the  Biographical  Sketches  of  Eminent  States- 
men, and  the  fly-leaf  informed  me  as  to  whom  I  was  indebted 
for  the  most  acceptable  and  highly  prized  present.  The  read- 
ing of  it  will,  I  am  sure,  confirm  and  strengthen  the  impres- 
sion which  I  already  entertain  of  the  worth,  excellence  and 
ability  of  the  author. 

Please  accept  my  thanks  and  allow  me  to  express  the  wish 
that  health  and  happiness  may  accompany  you  through  life. 
With  great  respect, 

John  M.   Lea. 


Columbia,  S.  C,  Sept.  15,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry,  Sans  Souci, 

Dear  Madam  :  The  book  of  sketches  by  your  lamented 
husband,  sent  me  by  your  own  kind  hands,  with  words  of 
commendation  and  gratitude,  reached  me  yestei-day. 

As  a  Carolinian  to  the  manner  born  I  claim  in  part  what- 
ever there  is  of  greatness  in  the  "  dead  but  sceptred  sove- 
reigns''  among  us  upon  whom  the  mantle  of  high  endeavor 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  85 


has  fallen.    Surely  among  these  Governor  Perry's  name  will 
always  be  found. 

But,  Madam,  an  additional  honor  is  mine.  Not  only  do  1 
possess  this  work  of  his  own  conception  and  execution,  but  1 
have  received  it  at  the  hands  of  his  widow,  who  sends  it  to 
me  with  kindest  messages.  For  this  additional  compliment 
I  am  especially  grateful. 

Your  brave,  honest  sou  fought  a  good  fight  and  the  victory 
remains  with  him.  Columbia  greets  Greenville  upon  the  oc- 
casion of  his  success,  and  if  the  people  here  knew  how  proud 
of  him  his  noble  mother  is,  they  would,  one  and  all,  see  an- 
other reason  why  Colonel  Perry  should  have  been  returned 
to  the  halls  of  National  legislation. 

Very  truly  and  respectfully, 

Andrew  Crawp^ord. 


Uplands, 
Brookline,  Mass.,  June  14,  1888. 

Dear  Mrs.  E*erry  :  I  lost  no  time,  after  receiving  your  last 
letter,  iu  purchasing  a  copy  of  ''The  Sketches"  at  Damrell 
&  Upham's.  From  time  to  time  I  have  read  pages  of  it  with 
great  interest.  But  absence  from  home,  on  our  customary 
spring  journey,  and  engrossing  engagements,  since  our  re- 
turn, have  left  me  with  a  huge  pile  of  unacknowledged  letters, 
to  which  every  day  brings  additions.  I  am  at  last  estab- 
lished in  our  summer  home,  to  which,  however,  I  cannot  give 
the  name  "Sans  Souci."  Indeed,  cares  and  troubles  beset  us 
all,  whatever  names  we  adopt  for  our  places.  But  I  cannot 
longer  postpone  an  acknowledgment  of  your  kind  letter. 

I  congratulate  you  on  having  issued  so  handsome  a  vol- 
ume. The  contents  and  the  portrait  give  a  most  agreeable 
impression  of  Governor  Perry,  and  will  preserve  his  memory 
more  securely  than  any  monument.  I  doubt  not  that  the 
volume  will  find  its  way  into  all  our  public  libraries,  and  will 
meet  the  commendations  which  it  merits. 

Believe  me,  respectfully  and  truly  yours, 

Robert  C.  Winthrop. 


86  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 


FI.AT  Rock,  S.  C,  Oct.  1,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry,  Greenville,  S.  C, 

Dear  Madam  :  The  two  books  you  were  so  kind  as  to  send 
me  came  duly  to  hand  and  I  hereby  tender  you  my  heartfelt 
and  most  sincere  thanks  for  the  true  kindness  and  courtesy 
you  have  shown  in  sending  them  to  me,  a  stranger  to  you, 
and  I  hope  you  will  pardon  this  tardy  acknowledgment  of 
your  kindness.  I  have  not  been  very  well  for  some  days  and 
I  have  also  been  so  much  absorbed  in  the  perusal  of  the  books 
that  I  have  not  been  able  to  make  an  earlier  acknowledg- 
ment. It  will  jj^ ve  me  great  pleasure  indeed  to  show  the  books 
and  endeavor  to  promote  their  sale.  The  people  of  South 
Carolina  ought  to  buy  the  Governor's  books,  for  our  State 
never  had  a  truer  or  more  patriotic  son  than  he.  Undeterred 
by  popular  clamor  and  the  threats  of  persecution,  he  bravely 
adhered  and  contended  for  what  he  believed  to  be  the  true 
policy  for  our  State  to  pursue,  and  time  has  proven  the  wis- 
dom of  his  doctrine.  I  once  more  tender  you  my  thanks  and 
will  do  what  I  can  to  sell  the  books.  They  deserve  a  large 
sale. 

Hoping  this  may  find  you  in  the  enjoyment  of  health,  hap- 
piness and  prosperity,  I  remain,  dear  madam. 
Most  sincerely  yours, 

D.  G.  Lanier. 


Rectory, 
Augusta,  Ga.,  Nov.  5,  1888. 
My  Dear  Mrs.  Perry:  As  yet  I  have  not  been  able  to 
study  the  "Biographical  Sketches,"  but  coming  from  Gov- 
ernor Perry's  head  and  heart,  they  must  be  subjects  of  fruit- 
ful study.  I  will  take  great  pleasure  in  reading  them.  As  a 
youth,  with  the  long  imaginary  distance  that  stands  between 
men  and  the  young,  I  admired  and  reverenced  your  noble  hus- 
band. Yet  boys  in  their  dreams  and  ambitions  forthefuture 
haveideals ;  and  one  of  my  ideals  was  Governor  Perry.  Time 
has  not  changed  that  ideal,  only  bringing  it  out  into  clearer 
light,  more  distinct  and  marked  setting.  If  I  was  a  public 
man,  a  politician  in  the  nobler  sense  of  the  word,  no  higher 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry,  37 


aim  would  animate  me  than  to  be  as  Governor  Perry  in  many 
traits  of  character.  "  He  bein^  dead  yet  speak€»th."  He 
shares  that  glorious  immortality,  the  best  immortality,  living 
in  spirit  to  mould  and  shape  coming'  ages,  future  generations. 
His  character  and  worth  should  be,  will  be,  a  study,  an  edii- 
<^.ation  to  the  young  men,  giving  them  high  aspirations  to 
yearn  for,  great  qualities  and  firm  principles  to  cultivate. 

The  noblest  work  of  God  is  a  man  of  principle;  and  a  man 
of  principle  is  the  true  follower  of  the  Christ.  I  mean  the 
man  who,  having  clear,  well  defined  principles  of  right,  truth 
and  duty;  will  never  forsake,  nor  surrender  them,  who  will 
«tand  Wkei  granite  against  calumny  ;  popular  opinion,  attacks 
of  enemies;  desertion  of  friends;  who  would  rather  lye  right 
than  a  popular  idol;  who  would  rather  be  true  to  conscience 
and  God,  although  solitary  and  alone  and  forsaken,  than 
have  the  plaudits  of  the  fickle  crowd. 

The  sun  moves  on  steady  and  unchangeable;  so  the  man  of 
principle  lives  on,  governed  by  one  motive,  impelled  by  one 
force,  loyalty  and  devotion  to  truth.  He  is  not  swept  away 
by  clamor,  stirred  by  uncertain  passion  and  enthusiasm. 
What  can  be  nobler  and  grander?  Would  you  compare  the 
world's  heroes  with  such  a  man?  In  all  his  life,  pre-emi- 
nently in  the  National  Democratic  Convention  of  1860  in 
Charleston,  S.  C,  hissed,  reviled,  misunderstood,  Governor 
Perry  stands  out  as  the  man  of  principle,  the  hero  of  the 
unwritten  historj^  of  God.  Unconsciously  he  had  caught  and 
wrapt  himself  in  the  spirit  of  the  Cross  and  its  sacrifice,  de- 
votion to  truth,  to  conscience  and  God,  though  reviling  and 
death  follow  close  upon  it. 

The  man  of  principle  is  the  prophet  of  his  day— first,  be- 
cause he  declares  the  eternal  will  to  men,  which  is  loyaltj^and 
devotion  to  truth,  and,  secondly,  because  he  predicts  what 
will  be,  as  he  knows  his  principles  will  be  in  the  end  trium- 
phant, and  that  an  adverse  course  will  bring  ruin  and  de- 
vastation. 

Governor  Perry  was  a  prophet,  warning  the  people  and 
their  leaders  of  their  folly,  and  declaring  the  evil  to  come. 
He  declared  the  truth  and  foretold  the  ruin  which  with  the 
vision  of  a  Seer  he  saw. 


S8  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 


What  our  public  life  needs  to-day,  is  men  of  principle  and 
of  strength  and  uprightness  of  character,  and  a.s  an  exam- 
ple in  whom  these  qualilies  are  combined  and  cemented  by  a 
noble  heart  and  mind,  I  would  hold  forth  to  the  youno-  men. 
Governor  Perry. 

Believe  me  as  yours  very  truly, 

John  Gass. 


Columbia,  ^r?.  C,  December  1,  1888. 
Mrs.  B,  F.  Perry,  Greenville,  S.  C, 

My  Dear  Madam  :  Your  note  advising  me  that  you  had 
posted  to  my  address  a  copy  of  the  Biographical  Sketches 
by  your  lamented  husband,  reached  me  simultaneously  with 
the  book.  Please  accept  my  grateful  acknowledgments  for 
it  and  for  the  kind  words  that  you  employ  in  transmitting 
it.  I  shall  derive  great  pleasure  from  reading  the  book,  for 
while  1  was  too  young  to  take  note  of  politics  at  the  time 
that  Governor  Perry  was  making  his  grand  effort  to  save  his 
country  from  the  direful  effects  of  an  unsuccessful  war,  and 
moulding  his  reputation  for  wisdom,  patriotism  and  bold- 
ness, yet  I  have  gathered  enough  of  his  life  to  accord  him  a 
place  second  to  none  among  the  great  men  that  South  Caro- 
lina has  produced.  In  the  light  that  time  has  brought,  even 
his  enemies  cannot  deny  him  full  credit  for  his  noble  effort  in 
behalf  of  his  country,  and  if  I  may  be  allowed  to  express  a 
good  wish  for  my  State,  it  is  that,  at  every  critical  juncture 
in  her  political  affairs,  she  may  be  able  to  find  a  leader  wise 
enough  to  comprehend  the  situation  as  Governor  Perry  did 
in  1860,  and  like  him  bold  enough  to  advocate  his  convictions 
in  the  face  of  overwhelming  opposition. 

I  observe  that  you  persist  in  placing  your  son,  Col.  Perry, 
under  obligations  to  me.  Permit  me  to  correct  you  again, 
by  reminding  you  that  what  little  I  was  able  to  do  for  Colo- 
nel Perry  was  most  cheerfully  done,  and  that  in  view  of  his 
constant  and  efficient  services  in  pushing  my  claim  through 
Congress,  the  balance  of  obligation  still  stands  in  his  favor. 

Thanking  you  again  for  the  book,  and  with  great  respect. 
I  remain,  dear  Madam,  very  sincerely, 

Joseph  M.  English. 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry,  39 

Greenville,  S.  C,  December  7,  1888. 

Many,  many  thanks,  my  dear  Mrs.  Perry,  for  the  volume 
containing'  the  writings  of  your  husband,  compiled  by  your- 
self. It  has  a  two-fold  value  and  interest  to  me.  First,  as  a 
token  of  your  friendship,  and  then  for  the  intrinsic  worth  and 
beauty  of  the  contents.  I  read  the  volume  some  weeks  since 
with  great  pleasure  and  profit.  The  lecture  before  the  Lycp- 
um  of  Cheraw  is  in  itself  a  store  of  valuable  information ; 
the  ending  of  it  especially  is  touching  and  beautiful.  But  it 
is  all  so  interesting  that  one  ca.nnot  say  which  is  most  so. 
The  orations,  addresses,  lectures  and  lives  of  distinguished 
men  are  given  in  a  style  of  great  purity  and  beauty,  I  may 
say  grandeur  of  language,  conveying  to  my  mind  an  image 
of  wisdom  and  all  manly  and  moral  goodness  in  the  writer. 
Such  a  man  was  Governor  Perry.  Such  was  his  national  rep- 
utation. This  and  much,  much  more  was  he  to  you  and  to 
his  children.  What  a  priceless  blessing  for  time  and  for  eter- 
nity !    "  The  memory  of  the  just  cannot  die." 

This  volume  is  a  most  valuable  addition  to  my  library,  and 
I  will  leave  it  to  my  grandchildren. 

With  love  for  yourself  and  Fannie,  I  am  yours, 

Mary  Thompson. 


University  of  California, 

Berkeley,  Cal.,  Dec.  12,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry,  Greenville,  S.  C, 

My  Dear  Madam  :  I  hasten  to  respond  to  your  esteemed 
favor  of  the  5th  of  December.  The  precious  volume  contain- 
ing the  writings  of  Governor  Perry  reached  me  safely;  and  1 
am  quite  sure  that  I  sent  you  a  prompt  acknowledgment  of 
its  receipt  before  I  had  the  opportunity  of  examining  its 
contents. 

Since  that  time,  both  Mrs.  LeConte  and  myself  have  again 
and  again  perused  the  volume,  and  wondered  at  and  ad- 
mired the  extraordinary  wisdom  and  prescience,  (almost 
amounting  to  divination),  of  your  distinguished  husband. 
And  more  than  all,  the  manifestations  in  his  writings  of 
those  rare  attributes  of  human  character  which  exalt  and 


40  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 

ennoble  humanity,  are  indeed,  precious  heritages  to  U8,  and 
to  future  generations.  It  is  gloiious  to  witness  how  the 
nobility  of  his  character  rose  when  the  gloom  and  shadow  of 
adversity  of  the  "reconstruction  times,"  overshadowed  a 
humiliated  people.  The  volume  is  one^  of  which  you  may, 
most  justly  be  proud. 

We  can  never  forget  the  period  of  our  residence  in  South- 
Carolina  I  As  memory  carries  us  back  along  the  corridors  of 
time,  those  thirteen  years  of  sojourn  in  the  "Palmetto 
State"  constitute  the  happiest  and  most  refreshing  episode 
in  the  lives  of  both  of  us.  No  institution  of  learning  evei* 
had  such  a  Board  of  Trustees  as  that  which  constituted  the 
governing  board  of  the  "  South  Carolina  College !"  No  body 
of  men  ever  had  a  keener  appreciation  of  genuine  learning  and 
culture,  or  manifested  a  deeper  sympathy  with  those  who 
were  struggling  to  comprehend  and  to  unfold  the  great 
principles  of  human  knowledge.  It  was,  indeed,  a  precious 
privilege  to  be  associated  with  such  a  group  of  men  ;  one  of 
whom  was  your  honored  husband. 

My  devoted  wife,  I  am  grieved  to  say,  is  almost  a  confirmed 
invalid.  Her  power  of  locomotion  is  so  much  impaired,  that 
she  has  been  compelled  to  give  up  society,  in  a  great  meas- 
ure. Fortunately,  she  is  able  to  ride  into  Oakland  (distant 
about  four  miles)  in  a  carriage  to  visit  our  daughter-in-law, 
(the  wife  of  our  only  surviving  child,  Julian,)  and  our  three 
grandchildren.  She  is  also  able  to  walk  about  the  house 
tolerably  comfortably,  and  amuses  herself  very  profitably  in 
reading.  Her  condition  of  health  is  her  excuse  for  not  writ- 
ing to  you.  She  unites  with  me  in  the  most  affectionate  re- 
gards to  you.  Yours  most  sincerely, 

John  LeConte. 


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NOTICE 


Speech  Before  the  Merchants,  Mechanics  and  Business  Men  oV 
Columbia,  Delivered  December  17,  1853,  Thirty- 
Five  Years  Ago, 

By  HON.  B.  F.  PERRY. 


(The  Greenville  Daily  News.) 

A  mighty  leader  of  the  peoplein  the  old  days  was  Benjamin 
F.  Perry,  of  this  county.  His  thoughts  were  as  free  as  the 
mountain  air,  his  courage  was  as  dauntless,  his  will  was  in- 
domitable. In  his  long  public  career,  in  which  he  held  the 
same  position  and  stood  without  change  for  larger  liberties 
and  more  consideration  for  the  masses  of  the  people  as 
against  the  ruling  few,  he  was  o])posed  by  powers  so  enor- 
mous that  they  would  have  crushed  a  weaker  man,  so  ag- 
gressive that  they  would  have  frightened  one  less  brave. 
Fiery,  brilliant  and  dashing  youth,  staid,  conservative  and 
weighty  old  age,  social  and  political  influences  and  the  out- 
lying flunkies  with  the  ready  client  smile  who  have  waited  to 
do  the  bidding  of  such  in  all  ages  of  history,  were  united 
against  him.  He  fought  his  fight  with  only  the  hearts  of 
the  people  behind  him — the  plain,  honest,  lowly  people  who 
were  many  times  fool3d  and  driven  and  split,  confused  by 
fine  words  and  cunning  tricks  to  opposing  their  own  in- 
terests. He  lived  to  see  many  of  the  things  he  fought  for 
done,  to  see  many  of  the  abuses  he  had  bitterly  and  bravely 
denounced  when  they  were  entrenched  in  all  the  power  of  the 
State  overthrown,  to  welcome  many  of  the  gallant  gentlemen 
who  in  the  blindness  of  loyalty  to  tradition  and  rearing  had 
opposed  his  reforms  and  insulted  and  derided  him.  as  fellow 
workers  with  him.    He  has  gone  to  his  reward. 

On  December  17th,  1853,  Governor  Perry  delivered  at  Col- 
umbia an  address  "to  the  Merchants,  Mechanics  and  Busi- 
ness Men  of  Columbia,"  on  the  subject  of  "Popular  Educa- 
tion."   It  was  preserved  and  has  recently   been  printed   in 


42  Benja,min  Franklin  Perry. 


pamphlet  form  by  Mrs.  Perry,  The  followinii,-  extract  from 
it  fits  so  perfectly  some  of  the  reasoning*  now  being  advanced 
against  the  separate  Agricultural  College  and  harmonizes  so 
well  with  the  arguments  offered  by  the  friends  of  that  institu- 
tion that  it  might  have  been  delivered  yesterday :  [As  three 
thousand  copies  of  the  Speech  have  been  printed  and  getie- 
rally  read,  we  omit  the  extract.— Mrs.  B.  F.  P.] 

This  speech  created  a  tremendous  outcry  at  the  time. 
Many  good  people  believed  then,  as  many  good  people  be- 
lieve now,  that  the  foundations  were  about  to  be  broken  up. 
One  by  one  the  barriers  in  the  way  of  real  democracy,  of 
actual  rule  by  and  for  the  people,  which  Governor  Perry  con- 
tended for  for  thirty  years,  he  succeeded  in  breaking  down. 
The  parish  system  was  abolished,  a  free  school  system  has 
been  firmly  established  and  is  making  healthy  gi:rowth ;  man- 
hood suffrage  has  been  obtained,  and  the  people  have  aright 
to  vote  directly  for  all  their  oflficers.  Men  are  represented  in 
legislative  bodies  instead  of  dollars.  ****«- 
Whatever  more  is  needed  to  make  the  work  perfect  will  be 
done  in  good  time,  if  the  people  will  hold  to  what  they  haye 
and  go  right  forward  all  together. 


LETTERS 

Acknowledging  Ihe  Receipt  of  the  Speecli  Before  ttie  Mercliants,  Meclianics  and  Business  Men 
of  Colufniiia,  S.  C,  Delivered  December  17, 1853,  Thirtf-Five  te  Ago, 

By  HON.  B.  F.  PERRY. 


FuuMAN  University, 

Greenville,  S.  C,  Aug.  22,  1888. 

Dear  Mrs.  Perry:  It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  ac- 
knowledge the  receipt  of  another  of  the  excellent  addresses  of 
ex-Governor  Perry,  which  you  have  so  generously  given  to 
the  public — that  delivered  before  the  merchants,  mechanics 
and  business  men  of  Columbia  in  1853.  Although  the  author 
apologized  for  its  rather  hasty  pre])aration,  he  gave  his 
audience  some  of  his  maturest  thoughts. 

I  have  read  the  speech  with  interest ;  and  it  is  gratifying  to 
observe  that  the  views  of  popular  education  which  he  then 
urged,  but  which  were  only  partially  accepted  by  leading  men 
of  the  State,  are  now  almost  universally  adopted ;  and  in 
many  parts  of  the  State  they  find  practical  expression  in 
well  organized  public  schools.  It  was,  perhaps,  Governor 
Perry's  misfortune  to  be  born  a  half  century  too  soon.  His 
views  were  ahead  of  his  times.  The  reproduction  of  these  ad. 
dresses  of  your  late  distinguished  husband,  will,  at  least 
serve  to  remind  us  of  a  debt  of  gratitude  we  owe  to  a  great 

and  good  man. 

I  have  the  honor  to  remain, 

With  great  esteem. 
Yours  very  truly, 

C.  H.  JUDSON. 


Office  of  State  Superintendent  of  Education, 

Columbia,  S.  C,  Aug.  29,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry, 

My  Dear  Madam:  I  cannot  say  too  much  in  praise  of  the 
address  of  Governor  Perry  sent  by  you  to  me.    The  senti 


44  Beujumiu  Franklin  Perry. 


ments  are  elevated  and  as  wide  as  humanity,  and  the  argu- 
ment is  true  in  every  detail.  In  my  work,  I  have  tried  during 
my  time  to  impress  just  such  views  upon  our  people.  I  did 
not  know  that  the  Governor  had  made  such  a  speech  and  I 
am  encouraged  to  go  on  with  my  duties  more  diligently. 
His  lite  was,  however,  so  busy  and  so  useful  that  he  touched 
on  almost  everything  and  dignified  everything  he  touched. 
Please  present  my  respec-ts  to  Mrs.  Beattie  and  your  house- 
hold.       With  my  great  regard,  very  respectfully, 

James  H.  Rice. 


(From  the  l^uperintendent  of  Public  Schools  in  ('harleston.  S.  C.) 

Charleston,  S.  C,  Aug.  31,  1888. 

Dear  Mrs.  Perry:  On  my  return  to  the  city  this  morning, 
I  found  your  kind  rememVjrances  awaiting  me.  I  shall  read  it 
with  great  pleasure  and  I  am  sure,  with  equal  profit. 

The  Governor  did  a  great  deal  for  popular  education,  and 
now  that  he  is  gone,  his  utterances  seem  to  have  been  pro- 
phetic. He  was  right,  when  he  said  long  years  ago,  that 
•'no  peoi)le  can  sustain  a  Republic  who  have  not  Virtue  and 
Intelligence,"  and  again,  when  he  said:  "Education  is  of  so 
much  importance  in  a  republican  government,  that  it  is  the 
absolute  duty  of  the  Commonwealth  to  educate  her  sons." 

It  was  a  noVjle  inspiration  which  prompted  you  to  publish 
the  sayings  of  your  distinguished  husband  and  to  give  to 
posterity  the  wisdom  of  his  utterances.  With  many  thanks 
for  the  copies  sent  me,  allow  me,  dear  Mrs.  Perry,  to  subscribe 
liiyself.  Sincerely  yours, 

Henry  P.  Archer. 


Bennettsville,  S.  C,  Sept.  6,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Berry, 

Dear  Madam:  I  had  just  finished  "Sketches,"  by  Governor 
B.  F-  Perry,  when  this  morning  I  received  by  mail  his 
speech  on  popular  education,  delivered  in  Columbia,  17th  of 
December,  1853,  recently  republished  by  you,  and  a  copy  of 
wiiich  you  have  kindly  sent  me.    Permit  me  to  thank  you 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  45 

for  it.  I  immediately  read  it,  and  am  delighted  with  the 
sound  and  wise  sentiments  of  the  address.  I  always  enter- 
tained for  Governor  Perry  sentiments  of  esteem  and  admira- 
tion, but  after  readino-  his  sketches  and  speeches,  my  ad- 
miration for  him  is  greatly  increased,  and  I  regard  him  a 
great  and  good  man.    With  sentiments  of  esteem, 

I  am,  very  respectfully, 

J.  H.  Hudson. 


mMMMmmmMdM^Mmmmmmm 

■i^f^fmmmmm^^rmm^mmfmf 

LETTERS 

Acknowledging  the  Receipt  oe  the  Second  Edition  of  "In  Memoriam, 


(As  this  Tribute  is  published  more  especially  for  the  benefit  of  the  children 

of  Governor  Perry,  it  is  a  pleasure  to  his  wife  to  insert  a  few  of  the 

letters  received  by  her  after  the  puplication  of  the  second 

editions  of  "  In  Memoriam  "  and  "  Erskine  Address," 

which  she  deems  worthy  of  preservation  ) 

(From  Judge  John  M.  Lea,  formerly  Judge  of  the  Supreme  ('ourt  of  Tennessee  and 
now  President  of  the  Historical  Society  of  that  State.) 

Nashville,  Tenn.,  Dec.  3,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F  Perry, 

Dear  Madam:  The  first  series  of  Biographical  Sketches 
written  by  your  lamented  husband  I  read  with  much  interest, 
and  the  last  volume  which  you  were  so  kind  as  to  send  tome 
a  few  weeks  ago  I  have  perused  with  equal  pleasure.  With 
some  eight  or  ten  of  the  distinguished  personages  whose 
lives  are  portrayed  I  enjoyed  a  personal  acquaintance,  and 
with  some  of  them,  I  may  say,  an  intimate  association,  and 
never  in  any  history  or  biography  were  characters  more 
faithfully  and  impartially  delineated — in  fact,  mental  and 
moral  qualities  are  set  forth  as  clearly  and  distinctly  as  the 
most  accomplished  artist  could  have  represented  on  canvas 
the  physical  features  of  those  distinguished  men.  These 
Sketches  are  not  only  a  most  valuable  contribution  to  politi- 
cal historv,  but  they  serve  as  models  for  the  style  and  man- 
ner in  which  biography  should  be  written.  All  of  truth  and 
nothing  of  exaggeration  can  be  found  within  the  leaves  of 
these  books.  Commendation  does  not  savor  of  adulation, 
the  just  mean  is  preserved,  and  scrutiny  fails  to  find  one 
line  of  malice,  or  even  a  tinge  of  political  ascerbity. 

Your  husband,  my  dear  Madame,  lived  in  a  perilous  time 
and  occupied,  on  account  of  his  political  sentiments,  a  most 
delicate  position,  the  duties  of  which  he  bravely  and  hero- 
ically discharged.    The  relation  which  he  occupied   towards 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  47 


the  leading  men  of  South  Carolina  illustrates  the  fact,  so 
honorable  to  human  nature,  that  in  minds  truly  generous 
and  great,  difference  of  opinion  need  not  necessarily  degene- 
rate into  personal  dislike  or  hostility,  and  it  is  really  delight- 
ful to  read  the  tributes  of  respect  which  have  been  paid  to" 
his  memory  by  those  with  whom  he  differed  on  questions  in- 
volving the  life  of  the  nation.  Seldom  in  ancient  or  modern 
times  have  we  witnessed  a  spectacle  so  rare,  the  commentary 
on  which  is  an  honor  to  the  people  and  to  the  public  men  of 
South  Carolina. 

The  memory  of  so  good  and  so  great  a  man  is  a  priceless 
legacy,  and  may  the  evening  of  your  days,  dark  as  they  may 
be  in  your  loneliness,  be  lighted  up  by  recollections  of  him 
who  was  a  comfort  to  you  in  his  life.  May  health  and  hap- 
piness accompany  you,        Very  trul^^ 

John  M.  Lea. 


^ 


Spartanburg,  S.  C,  Oct.  26,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry,  Greenville,  S.  C, 

Dear  Madam:  I  feel  highly  honored  this  morning  upon  re- 
ceiving a  copy  of  the  Memorial  of  your  late  husband,  and 
also  a  copy  of  the  Address  before  the  students  of  Erskine 
College.  In  my  boyhood  I  was  taught  by  my  father  to 
honor  the  name  of  Governor  Perry,  and  since  growing  to 
manhood  and  learning  for  myself  the  history  of  his  career,  I 
have  always  admired  his  fearless  integrity,  as  well  as  his  pro- 
found foi'esight,  which  led  him  to  see  what  we  now  all  see- 
that  secession  would  only  bring  disaster  on  our  country.  I 
regret  very  much  that  I  did  not  have  a  personal  acquaint- 
with  him. 

With  many  thanks  for  your  kind  remembrance,  I  am, 
Very  respectfully, 

E.  E.  BOMAR. 


Columbia,  S.  C,  Oct.  31,  1887. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry,  Sans  Souci, 

Dear  Madam:    Please  allow^  me  to  thank  you  most  sin- 
cerely for  '^The  Memoriam"  of  your  husband,  the  late  Gov- 


48  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 


ernor  B.  F.  Perry,  and  also  the  "Address"  to  the  Literary 
Societies  of  Erskine  Colle«je,  in  1844.  My  personal  acquaint- 
ance vvitli  the  Governor  was  limited,  but  I  knew  him  as  the 
man  of  Upper  Carolina,  his  name  being  synonymous  of  the 
courage,  honor  and  integrity  for  which  that  section  was  so 
characteristic.  I  heard  him  in  a  public  speech — I  think  it  was 
in  1868— in  our  park,  and  could  never  forget  the  speech  or 
the  man.  His  was  truly  a  model  character  and  I  am  having 
both  the  Memorial  and  Address  nicely  bound  for  my  son  and 
only  child,  whom  you  may  have  seen  in  your  citj  last  year, 
as  he  was  there  under  Captain  Patrick.  It  may  spring  from 
selfishness  in  me  to  regret  that  the  Memorial  did  not  con- 
tain an  engraving  of  his  commanding,  majestic  form  and 
noble  brow,  but  I  shall  prize  it  none  the  less,  and  it  shall 
be  preserved  with  m^'^  name  in  your  own  hand,  in  my  library 
for  my  children's  children. 

Most  respectfully  yours, 

W.    B.    LOWRANCE. 


Union,  S.  C,  Oct.  31,  1887. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry,  Greenville,  S.  C, 

My  Dear  Madam:  Permit  me  to  acknowledge  the  unaf- 
fected, sincere  pleasure  with  which  I  received  from  you,  a  day 
or  two  since,  the  Memorial  volume  of  your  distinguished 
husband,  together  with  a  (^opy  of  his  Address  before  the 
Literary  Societies  of  Erskine  College,  in  September,  1884. 

Governor  Perry  was  much  my  senior,  and  it  was  not  my 
good  fortune  to  be  personally  known  to  him,  but  for  many 
years  I  have  entertained  the  most  unbounded  respect  for  his 
high,  dignified  and  manly  character. 

The  delicate  and  tender  efforts  of  her  with  whom  he  had 
walked  for  fifty  years  of  his  life  to  keep  fresh  in  the  minds  of 
his  countrymen  his  commanding  traits  and  virtues  are,  of 
themselves,  the  most  beautiful  proof  of  his  greatness. 

After  all,  the  wife  is  the  truest  judge  of  the  man,  and  if  her 
voice  declares  that  gentleness,  nobleness  and  manliness  are 
there,  it  must  be  so.  But  when  the  words  of  the  wife  simplj^ 
corroborate  the  sentiments  and  opinions  of  the  world,  how 
abundant  and  how  perfect  is  the  testimony! 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  49 


No  one,  therefore,  other  than  yourself  can  so  fittingly  and 
effectually  perform  the  noble  worlc  you  have  undertaken,  and 
1  cannot  but  believe  that  great  good  must  surely  result  to 
all  within  its  scope. 

With  the  earnest  hope  that  your  life  may  be  spared  until 
you  have  finished  your  work,  in  a  manner  pleasing  to  you, 
and  that  coming  years  may  bring  you  only  gentle,  unbroken 
peace,  I  am,  my  dear  madam. 

Most  respectfully  and  truly  yours, 

E.  R.  Wallace. 


Woodruff,  S.  C,  Oct.  31,  1887. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry, 

My  Dear  Madam:  Please  accept  my  thanks  for  your 
kindness  in  sending  me  both  "In  Memoriam  "  and  the  Ad- 
dress of  your  lamented  husband  before  the  Literary  Socie- 
ties of  Erskine  College. 

In  reading  the  life  of  the  Hon.  B.  F.  Perry  one  can  but  be 
impressed  with  the  fact  that  truth,  honesty  and  consistency 
vri// receive  their  reward  in  the  respect  and  admiration  of 
men.  So  the  many  testimonies  of  esteem  show  the  honor 
in  which  your  husband  was  held. 

Yours  very  respectfully, 

W.  W.  Simpson. 


Union,  S.  C,  Oct.  31,  1887. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry, 

My  Dear  Madam:  You  will  please  accept  my  heartfelt 
thanks  for  your  attention  and  regard  in  sending  to  me  a 
copy  of  the  "Memoriam"  of  3^our  beloved  husband,  to- 
gether with  the  address  by  him  delivered  before  the  Lit- 
erary Societies  of  Erskine  College  in  1844 ;  the  appreciation 
of  which  language  is  almost  inadequate  to  express.  The 
address  is  certainly  an  unsurpassed  masterpiece  of  its  kind 
that  it  has  ever  been  my  pleasure  and  privilege  to  peruse.  I 
have  read  this  little  pamphlet  with  profound  interest,  and 
find  embodied  in  its  pages  wise  counsel   and  tender  admoni- 


50  Benjamin  FrnnkUn  Ferry. 


tion,  worthy  the  heed  and  following  of  all— a  condensed  his- 
tory of  the  life  and  character  of  many  of  the  world's  re- 
nowned men  of  all  ages — the  most  illustrious  of  whom  I  can, 
with  pardonable  pride  and  propriety,  compare  the  author; 
and  my  greatest  regret  is  that  I  had  not  the  privilege  of  the 
companionship  and  association  of  so  great  and  good  a  man, 
whose  devotion  to  private  and  public  duty,  fearless  firmness 
and  strict  adherence  to  principle,  commanded  the  respect 
and  admiration  of  all— friend  and  foe.  The  address  of  it- 
self, aside  from  the  grand  granite  shaft,  will  as  well  tend  to 
perpetuate  his  memory,  and,  as  intended,  benefit  the  young 
of  future  generations;  and  the  noble  work  of  disseminating 
it,  should  make  your  name  a  household  word  inev^ery  family 
that  has  children  to  rear  and  fit  for  the  various  vocations  of 
life.     With  tender  sympathy  and  great  respect,  I  am. 

Yours  sincerely, 

eJoHN  P.  Gage. 


CowpENS,  S.  C,  Nov.  1,  1887. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perjiy, 

Dear  Madam:  Please  accept  thanks  for  your  kind  con- 
sideration in  sending  me  a  copy  of  the  Memorial  volume  so 
appropriately  and  neatly  gotten  up  in  memory  of  your  de- 
ceased husband.  Governor  B.  F.  Perry;  also,  for  a  copy  of 
his  admirable  and  eloquent  address  before  the  Literary  So- 
cieties of  Erskine  College,  nearly  a  half  a  century  ago. 

I  have  read  them  both  carefully,  and,  I  trust,  profitably. 
It  was  never  my  good  fortune  to  know  Governor  Perry  per- 
sonally, though  I  had  seen  him  a  few  times,  T  knew  him  only 
by  reputation.  And  though  ray  feeble  pen  can  add  nothing 
in  the  way  of  eulogy,  I  must  and  will  say  that  in  my  hum- 
ble judgment.  Governor  Perry  was  the  most  honest,  far- 
seeing  and  wise  statesman  that  South  Carolina  has  ever  pro- 
duced, or  in  all  probability  ever  will !  Had  his  wise  counsels 
been  heeded,  the  noblest  sons  of  our  Sunny  South  would 
never  have  been  so  foolishly  and  cruelly  sacrificed. 

While  we  mourn  our  great  loss  in  his  death,  we  should  be 
consoled  by  the  fa^*^  that  he  lived  to  see  his  predictions  lit- 


Benjamm  Franklin  Perry.  51 


erally  fulfilled,  and  those  who  differed  with  him  at  one  time 
in  politics,  ready  to  rise  up  and  call  him  "  blessed.  " 

His  memory  will  be  cherished  when  the  marble  that  towers 
above  his  grave  has  crumbled. 

Sincerely  yours,  &c., 

John  Dp:wberry. 


Union,  S.  C,  Nov.  2,  1887. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry,  Greenville,  S.  C, 

Dear  Madam  :  It  is  a  pleasure  to  me  to  acknowledge  the 
receipt  of  the  ''In  Memoriam  "  and  the  Erskine  Address  of 
your  noble  husband. 

Others  have  said  enough  about  Governor  I'erry's  distin- 
guished qualities.  I  must  think  that  you,  who  have  gone  to 
such  pains  and  expense  to  perpetuate  his  memory  and  to 
disseminate  his  words  of  truth  among  oui-  people,  must 
have  contributed  much  to  his  great  success. 

Thanking  you  sincerely  for  including  me  among  those  you 
have  honored,  I  am,  yours  sincerely, 

B.  F.  Bailey. 


Danville,  Va.,  Nov.  2,  1887. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry,  Greenville,  S.  C, 

My  Dear  Madam:  I  acknowledge  with  pleasure  the  Me- 
morial and  Address  sent  me,  and  have  read  with  great  in- 
terest the  sketch  of  Governor  Perry's  life.  Would  that  there 
had  been  more  like  him,  for  then  we  might  have  secured  our 
rights  in  the  Union  without  the  loss  of  so  many  of  our 
choicest  lives. 

Like  him,  some  of  my  own  people  opposed  secession,  (as 
did  General  Lee  himself,  as  late  as  January  23,  1861),  and 
like  him,  had  of  course  to  abide  by  the  State,  and  share  in 
the  miseries  of  her  people. 

I  take  the  liberty  of  forwarding  to  you    an  address  deliv- 
ered last  summer  by  my  brother,    Thomas  Nelson   Page,  at 
Washington  and   Lee  University,   on    -'The  Old    South.'' 
Hoping  that  you  may  like  the  address,  I  am,   with   respect. 
Your  obedient  servent, 

Rosewell  Page. 


52  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 


No.  32  Broad  Street, 
Charleston,  S.  C,  Nov.  5,  1887. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry,  Greenville,  S.  C, 

My  Dear  Madam  :  1  am  in  receipt  of  the  pamphlet  in  me- 
mory of  the  late  Governor  Perry,  and  the  eopy  of  his  address 
before  the  Societies  of  Erskine  College  in  1844. 

I  beg  that  you  will  accept  my  sincere  thanks  for  both ;  and 
my  assurance  of  my  most  profound  respect  for  the  memory 
of  your  late  husband.  It  was  my  misfortune  that  my  youth 
prevented  my  intimate  association  with  him,  but  I  have  read 
of  him,  and  heard  of  him,  always  with  reverent  regard  for 
his  virtues,  and  an  earnest  desire  to  emulate  those  virtues 
and  his  many  accomplishments. 

I  remember  very  well  that  while  on  a  visit  to  your  city 
more  than  ten  years  ago,  he  spoke  words  of  great  encour- 
agement to  me.  It  was  at  the  commencement  of  my  pro- 
fessional life,  and  he  made  me  feel  that  I  had  his  best  wishes 
for  my  success,  and  I  then  felt,  and  now  appreciate  very 
highly,  of  hosv  much  value  those  wishes  were,  as  they  were 
honest  and  genuine  as  his  whole  life,  public  and  private,  was 
sincere  and  faithful. 

I  shall  read  and  keep  these  books  as  guides  and  helps  to  me, 
and  I  am,  my  dear  madam. 

Very  respectfully  and  faithfully, 

Simeon  Hyde. 


Abbeville,  S.  C,  Nov.  8,  1887. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry,  Greenville,  S.  C, 

Dear  Mrs.  Perry  :  Please  accept  many  thanks  for  your 
kind  consideration  in  sending  me  a  copy  of  the  "In  Memo- 
riani"  and  also  of  the  address  delivered  by  Hon.  B.  F.  Per- 
ry before  the  Literary  Societies  of  Erskine  College. 

In  every  age  it  has  been  a  few  men  who  have  given  a  coun- 
try its  renown  and  glory,  and  when  we  trace  the  pages  of 
history  we  find  no  name  that  has  cast  greater  lustre  upon 
our  country  than  that  of  your  illustrious  husband,  whose 
loss  was  so  keenly  felt  by  us  all. 

In  having  the  courage  to  express  his  convictions,  under 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  53 


any  and  all  circumstances,  he  has  set  us  an  example  which 
can  but  be  admired  by  all  those  who  love  truth,  bravery 
and  honor.    With  great  respect  I  am, 

Yours  very  truly, 

*  ICuGENE  B.  Gary. 


Orangeburg,  S.  C,  Nov.  10, 1887. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry,  Sans  Souci,  Greenville,  S.  C, 

Dear  Madam:  Permit  me  to  thank  you,  and  express  my 
high  appreciation  of  your  kindness  in  sending  me  the  "In 
Memoriam  "  volume  of  your  husband,  the  late  Governor  B.  F. 
Perry,  and  especially  for  his  very  able  and  instructive 
Erskine  College  Address,  both  of  which  have  been  read  with 
no  ordinary  interest  and  pleasure. 

Governor  Perry  was  a  grand  maii,  and  you  have  made  this 
generation  your  debtor  by  preserving  to  them  the  sketch  of 
a  life  that  was  the  embodiment  of  lofty  patriotism,  high 
principle  and  superb  courage.  His  name  and  fame  are  se- 
curely fixed  in  the  hearts  of  his  State,  as  well  as  in  the  his- 
tory of  her  great  men  and  achievements.  With  highest  es- 
teem and  sincere  thanks. 

Yours  very  respectfully, 

T.  M.  Raysor. 


CoMPTON,  S.  C,  Nov.  10,  1887. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry, 

My  Dear  Madam  :  Accept  my  thanks  for  the  kind  con- 
sideration that  prompted  you  to  forward  to  me  a  copy  of 
the  "Memoriam  "  and  Erskine  College  address  of  your  late 
honored  and  lamented  husband.  Though  but  a  lad  when  I 
knew  him  fii'st,  and  having  since  removed  from  near  his 
home,  I  deem  it  an  honor  and  claim  the  privilege  of  calling 
myself  his  friend  and  always  admirer.  My  father,  who  was 
the  Rev.  C.  P.  Dean,  was  a  warm  friend  of  your  great  and 
good  husband,  and  held  him  up  to  his  children  as  one  wor- 
thy of  honor  and  emulation — and  how  well  do  I  remember 
his  stalwart  form  when  in  the  court  house  in  1860  or  '59— 
he  first  became  known  to  me.    It  was  during  the  grea,t  trial 


o4  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 


between  Cooley  and  Chapman, where  he  gained,  I  expect,  his 
greatest  triumph  at  the  bar,  and  where  his  comp)arisons  and 
invective  drove  his  eminent  opponent,  Charles  Sullivan,  Esq., 
from  the  court  room. 

Though  but  fifteen  years  old,  while  a  student  at  Furman 
University  in  18()0,  and  while  all  were  wild  with  fanaticism, 
and  the  people  had  assembled  to  nominate  candidates  to  the 
convention  to  dissolve  the  Union,  there  were  none  to  stem 
the  current  save  our  esteemed  and  venerated  friend.  1  was 
at  heart  with  him,  and  I  often  wished  for  the  temerity  to 
approach  him  and  tell  him  I  was  with  him  in  his  love  for  the 
Union.  I  had  some  hot  words  on  several  occasions  with  our 
boys  when  they  were  too  rough  in  their  expressions  against 
him,  but  I,  like  him,  fell  into  the  current,  and  after  Lee  had 
surrendered  found  tears  too  willing  to  flow  for  the  wieck  of 
the ''Lost  Cause.  "  Alas!  who  can  tell  what  had  been  the 
result  if  his  sound  and  sensible  words  h^d  been  heeded. 
But  God  is  good.  He  works  in  us  and  through  us,  in  ways 
we  know  not  of,  and  we  can  thank  Him  heartily  that  He  gave 
us  such  a  noble  man,  for  us  to  know  and  to  love  and  to 
honor,  and  whose  works  and  influence  will  live  long  years  yet 
to  come,  and  may  He  be  more  than  a  husband  to  you,  and 
guide,  direct  and  sustain  you,  giving  you  comfort  and  con- 
solation each  day  as  your  declining  years  and  strength  may 
need,  and  at  last  meet  you  on  the  banks  of  the  Beautiful 
River.  Please  accept  my  kindest  and  most  sincere  regards. 
y  George  R.  Dean. 


Union,  S.  C,  Nov.  15,  1887. 
Dear  Mrs.  Perry  :  Allow  me  to  thank  you  for  your  kind- 
ness in  sending  me  cojjies  of  the  "In  Memoriam  "  of  your 
noble  husband,  my  dear  friend,  Govei-nor  Perry,  and  of  his 
address  before  the  Literary  Societies  of  Lrskine  College, 
both  of  which  I  shall  preserve  for  the  benefit  of  my  children, 
to  the  end  that  they  may  learn  all  they  can  of  the  patriot 
and  statesman  who  thoujrht  for  himself,  and  boldly  as- 
serted his  opinions,  regardless  of  the  numbers  who  differed 
with  him. 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  55 


I  rejoice  that  I  served  with  Governor  Perry  in  the  Legisla- 
ture in  the  winter  of  1864,  where  I  had  a  good  opportunity 
to  behold  for  myself  his  nobleness  of  heart  and  soul,  his 
steadfastness  to  pri  »ciple,  statesmanship  and  bravery. 

Had  a  majority  of  the  people  of  this  State  in  1860  enter- 
tained similai-  political  views  to  those  of  Governor  Perry, 
there  would  have  been  no  secession — no  war. 

While  visiting  my  son  last  week  in  the  South  Carolina 
College,  your  grandson,  Perry  Beattie,  came  up  and  spoke 
to  me.  How  I  appieciated  his  politeness,  his  thoughtfulness 
and  kindness  in  speaking  to  me.  I  see  in  him  a  striking  re- 
semblance of  his  grandfather.  Governor  Perry. 

Present  my  kind  regards  to  Mrs.  Beattie,  and  accept  for 
yourself  the  sympathies  of  one  who,  like  yourself,  is  ac- 
quainted with  sorrow  and  grief. 

Yours  truly, 

J.  G.  McKissicK. 


(From  H.  L   Dawes,  U.  S.  Senator  from  Massachusetts.) 

PiTTSFiELD,  Nov.  19,  1887. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry,  Sans  Souci,  Greenville,  S.  C, 

My  Dear  Madam  :  Please  accept  my  thanks  for  a  copy  of 
the  Memorial  of  your  honored  husband,  and  also  an  address 
delivered  by  him.  Governor  Perry  has  long  been  honored  and 
I'espected  by  all  those  familiar  with  the  life  and  character  of 
our  public  men,  as  well  on  account  of  his  great  moral  worth 
as  his  conspicuous  firmness  of  character  and  courage  of  con- 
victions. I  do  not  call  to  mind  at  this  time  any  one  who 
has  stood  up  so  bravely  in  vindication  of  what  he  believed 
to  be  right,  against  strong  current  of  public  sentiment 
around  him,  as  your  husband.  His  name  and  character  and 
example  will;  prove  in  after  times  to  be  of  great  value  to 
the  rising  generation  of  public  men,  and  their  influence  will 
continue  to  be  felt  through  many  generations.  Especially 
will  his  memory  be  cherished  in  Massachusetts,  for  the  no- 
ble and  courageous  stand  he  took  in  behalf  of  one  of  the  best 
of  our  public  men  sent  to  your  State  under  circumstances 


56  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 

and  upon  an  errand  especially  distasteful  to  j-our  people. 

Thanking  you  a^ain  for  these  Memorials  of  him,  I  am, 
with  great  respect  and  sympathy, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

H.  L.  Dawes. 

Note — In  1844  Governor  Perry  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  of  South  Caro- 
lina, and  while  a  member  of  that  body  voted  alone  against  the  resolution  ordering 
the  expulsion  from  the  State  of  Hon.  Samuel  Hoar,  who  was  sent  here  by  the  State 
of  Massachusetts  to  test  the  legality  of  a  law  relating  to  colored  seamen.  Every 
other  Senator  voted  for  it,  but  Governor  Perry  spoke  energetically  against  it,  and 
had  his  solitary  vote  recorded  on  the  negative  side,  declaring  that  hostile  majori- 
ties had  no  terrors  for  him  while  he  was  conscientiously  performing  his  duty. 


Aiken,  S.  C,  Nov.  19,  1887. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry, 

Dear  Madam  :  Allow  me  to  thank  you  for  the  pamphlet 
"In  Memoriam,  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry,*'  which  reached 
me  a  few  days  since. 

To  do  justice  to  the  memory  of  your  lamented  husband 
would  require  a  volume;  indeed,  a  history  of  the  State  dur- 
ing that  long  period  in  which  he  was  a  leader  in  the  coun- 
cils. For  a  half  century  he  stood  among  the  ablest  of  that 
distinguished  band  of  Carolinians  who  made  this  State 
great,  beloved  by  its  citizens  and  respected  by  the  civilized 
world.  In  the  providence  of  God  he  reached  a  ripe  age.  and 
honored,  respected  and  beloved,  he  has  passed  from  the  toil 
of  life,  and  enjoys  the  reward  reserved  for  those  who  love  and 
labor  for  their  fellow  men. 

I  trust,  dear  madam,  that  you  will  long  be  spared  to 
your  family  and  friends. 

Very  respectfully, 

James  Aldrich. 


Columbia,  S.  C,  Nov.  20,  1887. 
Hon.  Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry,  Greenville,  S.  C, 

Dear  Madam:  Allow  me  to  express  to  you  my  many 
thanks  for  the  compliment  conferred,  by  sending  me  through 
mail  a  copy  of  the  "  Memoriam  "  touching  upon  the  charac- 
ter, life  and  services  of  your  distinguished  consort,  now  de- 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  57 


ceast^d.  In  his  character  was  combined  in  a  remarkable  de- 
o:ree  all  those  elements  of  j>:reatness,  which  command  the  re- 
spect and  admiration  of  all  thoughtful  and  honorable  men. 
He  displayed  in  no  small  det2:ree  that  calm  judg'ment,  finesse 
(Tesprit  and  sagacity  so  characteristic  of  a  great  statesman 
during  our  troubles  amidst  the  clamors  of  an  angry  popu- 
lace and  the  stormy  periods  of  a  revolution  ;  and  when  the 
"tocsin  "  for  the  destruction  of  the  Union  was  ringing  from 
one  end  of  the  South  to  the  other  he  stood  up  like  a  great 
patriot^  at  one  time  almost  alone,  and  fought  against  fright- 
ful odds  for  the  preservation  of  his  (country.  He  did  not 
blindly  follow  the  dictum  of  a  few  leading  politicians,  or 
take  his  political  opinions  from  the  views  or  abstract  theo- 
ries of  some  so-called  political philosopheis,  but  had  his  own 
standpoint,  and  being  highly  endowed  intellectually,  exer- 
cised his  own  individual  judgment  and  reason  in  solving  the 
political  questions  and  problems  of  his  day  and  time.  One 
fact  that  the  distinguished  and  lamented  Mr.  Pettigru  said 
of  Judge  Berian,  of  Georgia,  may,  with  great  propriety,  be 
applied  to  him,  viz:  "  He  was  no  politician,  but  a  distin- 
guished lawyer  and  statesman."  It  is  a  curious  fact,  but 
nevertheless  one  which  history  will  bear  out,  that  some  of 
the  most  distinguished  men  of  ancient  and  modern  times 
vere  never  appreciated  until  they  had  passed  away— until 
they  were  dead.  They  were  in  some  instances  even  perse- 
cuted during  their  lifetime  from  the  fact  that  their  ideas  and 
opinions  did  not  run  current  with  the  popular  ideas  and 
opinions  of  their  day  and  time.  Such  was  the  case  with 
Aristides,  Socrates,  the  lamented  Pettigru  ,and  many  others. 
Mr.  Pettigru  died  unfortunately  before  the  war  closed,  but 
your  husband  was  more  fortunate.  He  was  permitted  by  a 
kind  and  divine  Providence  to  see  it  end.  Permitted  to  ap- 
pear again  upon  the  scene  of  action  during  the  reconstruc- 
tive era,  and  to  assist  in  the  building  up  of  his  country. 
Yes,  permitted  to  realize  the  fuliUhnent  of  hm  prophesies  and 
the  truthfulness  of  his  utterances. 

•'Tnith  crushed  to  earth,  will  rise  again, 

The  eternal  years  of  God  are  hers; 
But  error  stricken,  writhes  in  pain, 

And  dies  amidst  her  worshippers." 

Please  accept,  madam,  the  assurance  of  my  highest  con- 
sideration. JO.  Seabrook,  M.  D. 


^8  Benjmnin  Friiuklin  Ferry 


Chick's  Springs,  S.  C,  Nov.  22,  1887. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry, 

My  Dear  Madam:  In  thanking- you  for  your  highly  ap- 
preciated present,  to-vvit,  the  address  and  life  of  my  much 
honored  friend,  ex-Governor  Perry,  the  date  of  that  ad- 
dress carries  me  back  to  my  first  school-boy  days,  which  was 
in  a  little  pine  log  house  in  the  middle  of  an  old  field,  where 
now  stands  a  nice  residence,  store  and  church  known  as  Lo- 
cust Hill,  in  the  upper  part  of  our  County.  It  also  brings  to 
my  mind  how  I  used  to.  about  that  time,  saddle  up  my  horse 
on  Saturday  evening,  and  gallop  off  to  the  postoffice  to  get 
the  nice,  clean  Southern  Patriot,  which  was  sent  free  to  my 
father  during  the  whole  time  of  Governor  Perry's  connection 
with  the  paper,  or  this  is  my  recollection  at  this  time.  It 
also  reminds  me  of  the  fact  that  I  voted  for  him  from  my 
first  vote  every  time  the  opportunity  was  afforded.  I  can 
call  to  mini!  so  much  of  his  sayings  and  doings  in  the  court 
house  of  our  County,  and  at  many  other  places,  that  I  will 
read  the  address,  and  more  particularly  the  life  of  the  man  I 
always  thougnt  so  much  of.  Now,  dear  madam,  allow  me 
again  to  thank  you,  and  wish  for  you  many  more  days  of 
liappiness  with  your  son,  Colonel  W.  H.  Perry  ;  and  for  him 
I  can  only  wish  the  mantle  of  his  honored  father  to  fall  and 
cover  him  completely  up.  With  this  very  imperfect  acknow- 
ledgement of  yours,  and  with  my  respects,  I  am. 

Yours  truly, 

R.  B.  Gibson. 


(From  the  Superintendent  of  Pnplic  Schools  in  rolumbia.  S.  C.) 

Columbia,  S.  C,  Nov.  23,  1887. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry, 

Dear  Madam:  The  admirable  address  of  your  distin- 
guished husband  and  your  Memorial  volume  to  that  noble 
man  have  been  received  and  read  with  much  pleasure  and 
j)rofit. 

Truly  is  it,  as  he  so  well  says :  '•  Nothing  can  conduce  more 
to  the  improvement  of  the  young  mind  than  the  reading  and 
rontemplation  of  the  lives  of  great  men,  "  and  his  life  is  an 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  59 


illustration  of  the  truth,  in  the  good  influence  which  its  con- 
templation has  already  exerted.  As  one  specially  interested 
in  education,  I  must  thank  you  for  preserving,  for  the  imita- 
tion and  emulation  of  the  youth  of  our  State  and  country,  a 
record  of  the  labors,  trials  and  triumphs  of  a  life  whose 
watchword  was  always  ''  Right,  ^^  and  never  '^  Expediency,'' 
even  under  the  most  tiyin^  difficulties  and  discouragements. 
Many  will  surely  be  the  better  and  stronger  for  reading  what 
one  of  "Nature's  noblemen '' had  the  courage  to  dare  and 
do  in  the  line  of  right  and  duty.  With  great  respect,  I  am. 
Very  sincerely  yours, 

D.  B.  Johnson. 


Charleston,  S.  C,  Jan.  3,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry,  Greenville,  S.  C, 

Dear  Madam:  I  have  just  received  the  Memorial  oi  Gov- 
ernor Perry,  together  with  his  address  to  the  Literary  So- 
cieties of  Erskine  College,  which  I  beg  gratefully  to  ac- 
knowledge. 

The  fame  of  Governor  Perry,  and  the  eminence  of  his 
character  and  public  services  are  a  part  of  the  inheritance  of 
the  State.  They  illustrate  the  history  of  our  people.  The 
example  of  such  a  life  is  a  legacy  to  posterity.  The  address 
is  a  reflection  of  Governor  Perry's  individuality.  Its  senti- 
ments flow  naturally  from  such  a  source.  Happy  the  man, 
young  or  old,  who  is  able  not  only  to  appreciate,  but  to 
practice  what  he  inculcates.  I  am,  dear  madam, 
Yours  most  respectfully, 

B.  H.  IIutlege. 


Methodist  Rectory, 
Greenville,  S.  C,  Jan.  12,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry, 

Dear  Madam:  Accept  my  sincere  thanks  for  the  Memo- 
riam  of  your  lamented  husband,  and  also  for  the  copy  of  his 
able  address  at  Erskine  College.  I  have  grea^tly  desired  these 
publications,  but  to  receive  them  from  your  hands  enhances 
their  value. 


60  BenJHinin  Franklin  Perry. 


From  a  child  I  admired  Governor  Perry,  and  my  admira- 
tion iiK'reasod  to  the  end  of  his  life,  and  still  grows.  I  am 
sure  that  he  more  than  deserved  the  high  praises  which  fol- 
lowed him  living,  and  which  embalm  his  memory  now.  And 
I  believe  when  posterity  sifts  the  men  and  days  past  and 
passing,  his  honor  and  fame  will  be  grenter  than  they  are 
to-day,  albeit,  onr  whole  State  and  the  informed  of  our 
country  now  mourn  "a  prince  and  a  great  man." 

May  the  Divine  Comforter  sustain  you  and  yours.  Will 
you  accept  for  yourself  and  convey  to  your  family  most 
heartfelt  sympathy.    From  yours  most  sincerely. 

John  O.  VVillson. 


Lancaster  C.  H.,  S.  C,  Jan.  12,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry, 

My  Dear  Madam:  I  received  the  pamphlet,  ''In  Memo- 
nam,"  of  your  distinguished  husband,  the  Hon.  Benjamin 
F.  Perry,  which  you  so  kindly  sent  to  me  the  first  week  of 
the  new  year.  I  was  away  from  home  at  the  time  the 
pamphlet  came  for  me,  otherwise  it  would  have  been  ac- 
knowledged sooner.  The  Memoriam  is  a  just  tribute  to  the 
life,  character,  and  public  acts  of  your  husband. 

Governor  Perry  was  a  man  of  decided  character.  He  not 
only  possessed  ability  and  integrity,  but  he  possessed  moral 
(courage  in  a  v(?ry  high  degree.  He  was  a  bold,  forcible  and 
impressive  speaker.  He  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Union 
party  in  South  Carolina,  and  the  denunciations  and  frowns 
of  party  never  caused  him  to  shrink  from  the  maintenance 
and  defense  of  his  principles.  Although  he  differed  from  the 
dominant  party  in  the  State,  yet  he  was  always  regarded  as 
an  honest  politician,  and  true  to  his  convictions  of  right  and 
duty. 

It  was  my  good  pleasui'e  to  know  Governor  Perry,  and  to 
receive  from  him  acts  of  kindness. 

Thanking  you  for  your  kindness  in  sending  me  the  paraph- 
let,  I  remain  yours  very  truly, 

George  M.  C.  Witherspoon. 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  61 


(From  Bishop  Stevens.) 

211  Bull  Street, 
Charleston,  S.  C,  March  16,  1888. 
Mrs,  B.  F.  Perry, 

Dear  Madam:  I  return  thanks  for  the  compliment  paid 
me  by  sending  me  a  copy  of  "The  Memorial  Tribute"  to 
your  husband,  Hon.  B.  F.  Perry. 

Though  never  having  a  personal  acquaintance  with  Gov- 
ernor Perry,  I  have  always  regarded  him  with  the  highest 
admii'ation  for  his  integrity  of  character  and  unswerving 
devotion  to  principle. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  splendid  triumph  of  his  moral 
worth,  when  in  the  Democratic  Convention  of  1860,  in  this 
city,  he  controlled  the  excited  and  opposing  body,  and  com- 
pelled them  to  listen  respectfully  to  views  not  one  relished  or 
agreed  with.  Very  respectfully, 

P.  F.  Stevens. 


La  GranCxE,  S.  C,  March  27,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry, 

Dear  Madam  :  Please  accept  my  thanks  for  your  kind  re- 
membrance of  me  in  sending  the  Memorial  pamphlet  of 
your  noble  husband. 

He  obtained  and  justly  merited  the  admiration  of  all  the 
the  people  of  South  Carolina.  I  have  never  heard  his  name 
mCTitioned  except  in  the  highest  terms  of  regard. 

No  man  could  leave  a.  greater  legacy  to  his  sons  than  the 
nobility  of  soul  which  seems  to  have  characterized  every  ac- 
tion of  your  lamented  husband.  I  shall  always  keep  the 
Memorial  of  Governor  Perry,  and  regard  it  as  a  just  tribute 
to  one  of  the  grandest  and  most  illustrious  men  that  South 
Carolina  has  ever  known.     With  sincere  respect,  I  am, 

Yours  truly, 

John  G.  Mobley. 


Laurens,  S.  C,  April  24,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry, 
Dear  Madam:    I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  re- 


62  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 


ceipt  of  a  copy  of  "In  Memoriam, "  your  beautiful  tribute 
to  the  memory  of  your  distinguished  husband,  to<>:ether  with 
the  address  delivered  before  the  Literary  Societies  of  Ers- 
kine  College,  both  of  which  I  shall  read  and  preserve  with 
pleasure.  It  is  indeed  fortunate  for  posterity  that  you  have 
preserved  these  evidences  of  the  love  and  esteem  in  which  he 
was  held,  for  while  the  generation  of  to-day  needs  no  re- 
minder of  him,  they  will  serve  to  give  his  example  to  others 
yet  to  come.  On  several  occasions  it  was  my  good  fortune 
to  hear  him  in  public,  and  his  words  of  wisdom  have  never 
been  forgotten.  His  keen  foresight  in  the  councils  of  State 
and  the  independence  of  his  course  will  not  only  make  him 
immortal  in  American  history,  but  will  vouchsafe  to  his  pos- 
terity the  honor  and  respect  which  his  name  inspires. 
Yours  with  the  greatest  esteem, 

Frank  P.  McGowan. 


Washington,  D.  C,  May  29,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry,  Greenville,  S.  C, 

My  Dear  Madam  :  I  feel  very  much  obliged  by  your  kind- 
ness in  sending  me  copies  of  the  "Memorial"  of  your  hus- 
band and  of  his  address  at  Erskine  College  in  1844.  1  am 
very  glad  to  have  a  permanent  record  of  such  a  life  as  his 
has  been.  Ever  since  I  have  been  able  to  form  an  opinion  on 
such  a  subject,  I  have  thought  him  one  of  the  wisest,  bravest 
and  most  enlightened  men  of  our  State.  To  the  satisfaction 
of  seeing  the  present  honor  done  to  his  memory,  I  think  you 
may  well  add  a  reasonable  hope  that  posterity  will  do  even 
more. 

With  the  assurance  of  my  sympathy  in  your  great  loss, 
believe  me.  Yours  very  truly, 

James  Lowndes. 


Columbia,  S.  C,  Dec.  17,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry, 

Dear  Madam:    Knowing  that  you  would  receive  so  many 
letters  from  the  distinguished  friends  ot  your  late  husband, 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  63 


the  Hon.  B.  F.  Perry,  I  felt  reluctant  to  add  my  feeble  trib- 
ute to  his  worth  and  eminent  services. 

I  knew  him  for  many  years,  and  although  I  differed  with 
him  politically  before  the  war,  I  always  admired  him  for  the 
boldness  and  independence  of  his  character,  his  strength  of 
intellect  and  his  manl^^  and  noble  bearing.  When  it  was  my 
good  fortune  to  see  him,  as  I  often  did  in  our  Legislative 
halls,  battling  with  all  the  force  of  his  powerful  intellect, 
singly  and  alone,  in  defense  of  what  he  believed  to  be  right 
and  best,  with  nearly  the  whole  State  against  him,  I  felt  that 
I  was  in  the  presence  of  a  Roman  who  w  ould  do  and  dare  all 
for  his  convictions. 

After  the  war  we  were  »irawn  nearer  together  beca  use  our 
sentiments  were  alike,  and  I  have  always  regai-ded  it  as  the 
greatest  compliment  ever  paid  me,  when  he  arose  in  the  Con- 
vention of  1876,  and  nominated  me  as  a  delegate  to  the 
National  Convention. 

You  are  engaged  in  a  noble  work  in  handing  down  to  pos- 
terity the  virtues  and  noble  character  of  such  a  man,  and 
permit  me  to  say  I  honor  3'ou  for  it. 

Very  truly  yours, 

William  Wallace. 


Greenville,  S.  C,  Feb.  18,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry,  Greenville,  S.  C, 

Dear  Madam:  Your  valued  favor  of  recent  date  was 
promptly  received,  as  were  also  the  "InMemoriam"  and 
"Erskine  Address."  I  had  not  seen  the  "In  Memoriam," 
and  with  great  pleasure,  seated  v/ith  the  members  of  my 
family  around  the  fireside,  on  the  night  of  its  reception,  I 
read  it  to  them,  who  were  likewise  greatly  interested,  I  had 
read  the  "Erskine  Address"  twice  before,  but  am  much 
pleased  to  have  it  in  paniphlet  form.  I  have  carefully  filed 
it  for  future  reference. 

You  will  see  from  the  enclosed  list  that  I  have  executed 
your  request.  I  have  done  so  for  four  reasons:  First — Be- 
cause of  the  very  great  value  of  the  Address.  Second — 
Because  I  think  those  named   would   highly  appreciate  it. 


64  Benjajnin  Franklin  Perry. 


Third — Because  they  possess  good  opportunities  to  dis- 
tribute it  amongst  the  children  of  our  county,  and  a  few,  as 
you  see,  are  in  other  Counties.  Fourth — That  you  niay  have 
a  full  list  of  the  trustees  and  white  teachers  of  our  County 
from  which  you  can  select. 

From  a  boy,  I  was  taught  by  my  parents,  who  were  great 
admirers  of  Governor  Perry,  to  look  upon  him  as  a  noble 
man,  pure  and  upright  in  heart,  brave  and  fearless  when 
moved  by  convictions  of  the  justice  of  his  cause,  honest  in  all 
opinions  and  dealings,  just  to  all  according  to  his  judgment 
of  the  right,  possessed  of  natural  ability,  by  industry  and 
perseverance  a  master  of  his  profession,  a  statesman  of  high 
order,  and  familiar  with  the  writings  of  all  good  authors. 
Added  to  this  teaching,  when  yet  quite  a  lad,  1  was  given  the 
opportunity,  which  I  gladly  embraced,  of  reading  his  "Re- 
miniscences of  Great  Men"  as  they  were  pul)lished  in  the 
newspapers,  and  their  good  impressions  were  many  and 
strong. 

I  shall  never  forget  when  I  tlrst  saw  Governor  Perry.  The 
occurrence  made  a  deep  impression  on  my  mind.  I  was  sent 
by  my  father  with  a  note  to  him  for  some  legal  advice.  On 
my  way  I  had  many  thoughts  and  really  wondered  if  I 
should  indeed  see  him  of  whom  I  had  read  and  been 
told  so  much.  I  entered  his  office  and  was  re- 
ceived by  him  with  as  much  invility  and  politeness 
as  if  I  had  been  a  man,  though  I  was  very  much  fright- 
ened at  the  thought  of  having  to  go  into  the  presence 
of  so  great  a  man.  He  enquired  my  name,  which  I 
gave,  and  presented  the  note.  Seeing  that  I  was  cold,  for 
the  morning  was  chilly  and  I  had  ridden  some  distance  on 
horseback,  he  turned  to  make  special  arrangements  for  my 
comfort  by  the  glowing  fire.  When  I  was  seated  he  read  the 
note  and  turned  to  his  desk  and  wrote  his  reply.  While  he 
wrote,  being  somewhat  behind  him,  I  sat  and  gazed  at  him 
in  perfect  boyish  amazement.  When  he  had  finished  the  re- 
ply he  turned  and  handed  it  to  me,  and  at  once,  to  my  very 
great  astonishment,  entered  upon  a  general  conversation 
about  our  neighborhood — the  people.  He  seemed  as  famil- 
iar with  their  names  as  I  was,  their  health,  stock,  crops,  high 


BenjawJn  Franklin  Pony.  65 

water,  etc.,  to  all  of  which  I  made  the  best  answers  I  could. 
When  I  was  ready  to  go  I  r(K;eived  from  him  the  same  kind- 
ness and  courtesy  as  that  with  which  he  received  me.  When 
out  of  his  office  I  soon  became  mysplf  again.  I  was  indeed 
alight-hearted,  happy  boy,  for  I  had  really  seen  Governoi- 
Perry.  This  taught  me  the  lesson  that  no  boy  need  evei- 
fear  to  go  into  the  presence  or  a  truly  great  man,  for  he 
would  receive  nothing  but  the  kindest  treatment  and  con- 
sideration, such  as  I  had  received  from  Oovernor  Perry. 
This  lesson  has  serv^ed  me  well  on  many  occasions  since,  and 
I  shall  never  foi-get  it.  1  apprehend  a  general  distribution 
of  this  excellent  Erskine  address,  such  as  is  proposed  by  you. 
will  sow  many  good  seeds  that  will  spring  up  and  bear  much 
good  fruit  as  the  boys  into  whose  hearts  they  lodge,  ripen 
into  manhood,  and  throughout  their  lives  will  they  reflect 
it.  1  am,  with  great  i-espect,  VV.  D.  Mayfield. 


Beauvoir,Mi88.,  De( .  28,  1888. 
Mus.  B.  F.  Perry, 

Dear  Madam:  1  regret  to  find  from  your  letter  of  the  5th 
instant  that  you  have  not  received  mine  acknowledging 
your  kind  consideration  in  sending  to  me  the  biographical 
sketches  of  eminent  Amei-ican  statesmen,  among  whom  was 
your  deceased  husband.  So  far  as  he  and  I  differed  as  to 
policy  it  did  not  prevent  entire  concurrence  in  feeling  and 
wishes  for  the  future  of  our  section,  and  surely  detracted 
nothing  from  my  respect  for  his  character  and  judgment. 
The  consciousness  of  the  rectitude  of  oui*  own  motives  must 
always  excite  toleration  for  those  who  ma,y  not  agree  with 
us. 

May  God's  best  blessings  rest  upon  you,  is  the  sincere  wish 
of  vours,  Jefferson  Davis. 


w^f'^wi^mwBm^mmwi^^m^rm 


Governor  Perry  in  His  Law  flice  anil  at  fio.ne,  a!  "Sans  Siyc'." 


(The  following  notice  of  Governor  Perry  by  his  attached  friend,  Hon.  C.  W. 

Dudley,  gives  so  graphic   an   account  o    him  that  it  is  thought 

worthy  >'»f  a  place  in  this  Tribute.) 


(We  c^py  the  following  paragraph,  in  which  Governor  Perry  is  so  kindly  spoken, 
of,  from  the  last  issue  of  the  Marlborough  Planter,  published  at  Bennettsville, 
whose  editor.  Colonel  C.  W.  Dudley,  recently  paid  our  city  a  visit. — Enterprise  and 
Moantnineer,  Greenville,  S.  C,  September  12,  1877.) 

But  "sz  ruat  cwlum  "  our  readers  shall  not  pass  over  the 
fact  that  we  saw  in  Greenville  that  noble  Roman,  Governor 
Perry,  and  his  interesting*  family.  He  resides  about  three 
miles  from  the  city,  with  a  panorama  of  hills  and  mountains 
in  full  view  of  a  splendid  building'  now  in  process  of  consti'iic- 
tion  and  nearly  finished,  in  which  he  proposes  to  spend  the 
latter  years  of  his  life,  in  elegant  retirement.  Itis  not  saying 
too  much  when  we  venture  the  assertion  that  Greenville  has 
been  built  up  around  him.  That  he  is  the  great  centre  post  of 
the  industries  and  the  educational  advantages  now  so  promi- 
nent in  that  city.  The  world  has  not  been  mistaken  in  sup- 
posing that  where  such  a  man  has  so  long  been  honored  by 
the  confidence  of  the  people,  they  themselv-es  love  the  princi- 
ples which  have  adorned  his  life,  and  form  a  society  in  which 
it  would  be  well  to  mingle.  Consequently  Greenville  attracts 
visitors  from  every  section  of  the  country.  It  is  in  the  direct 
route  to  Caesar's  Head,  Flat  Rock,  and  other  points  where 
health  and  recreation  may  be  found,  and  is  a  resting  place 
on  the  way,  where  the  excursionist  who  ever  knew  Governor 
Perry  rarely  fails  to  call  and  pay  his  respects.  He  is  punctual 
in  attendance  at  his  office  every  day,  but  has  shunned  the 
court  house  during  radical  rule  as  a  pestilence.  His  son, 
Mr.  VV.  H.  Perry,  is  in  active  practice,  and  has  relieved  him 
from  that  duty.  Governor  Perry  makes  no  compromises  of 
principle,  nor  bends  to  any  considerations  of  mere  expe- 
diency.    His  lofty  nature  has  felt  nothing  but  scorn  and  cc^n- 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  67 


tempt  for  radical  official  fraud,  and  lie  has  never  failed  to  ex- 
press it,  in  the  most  unmistakable  manner.  Hence,  he  has 
not  bowed  before  their  authority,  nor  recognized  them,  in 
court  or  out  of  it,  except  as  objects  of  disgust  and  abhor- 
rence. His  law  office,  at  the  time  we  called,  was  like  a  crowded 
levee.  After  remaining  there  about  an  hour,  enjoying  the 
luxury  of  conversation,  such  as  the  most  intelligent  people 
like  to  indulge  in  and  to  hear,  we  bowed  ourselves  out  and 
retreated  to  make  room  for  others. 

We  could  not  help  thinking  that  Governor  Perry  was  like 
a  great  beacon  light  in  the  State,  attracting  by  his  high 
character  the  eyes  of  the  whole  population,  and  inviting 
them  to  stand  upon  the  same  pedestal  he  has  always  occu- 
pied. Just  such  men  as  he  are  moral  disinfectants,  and  if  it 
were  in  the  order  of  nature,  we  would  hope  that  he  might 
never  die,  and  never  srow  older. 


(This  lett<?r  and  dcHcription   of  Sans  Sovci,   by  Governor  Perry's  young  friend, 

McDonald   Furman,  was  received  while  this  Tribute  was  being  compiled, 

and  is  so  much  appreciated  that  it  is  thought  proper  to  place  it 

among  the  other   valuable  contributions  to   the    memory 

of  this  great  man. 

Ramsey,  Sumter  County,  S.  C,  Dec.  15,  1888. 

Dear  Mrs.  Perry  :  You  will  find  enclosed  an  article  which 
appeared  in  to-day's  Sumter  Advance,  giving  an  account  of 
the  day  I  spent  at  Sans  Souci  six  years  ago.  At  the  time  I 
wrote  the  account  in  my  diary  I  had  no  idea  of  ever  publish- 
ing  it,  but  since  then  I  have  thought  that  it  would  form  an 
interesting  article,  so  I  have  had  it  published.  Governor 
Perry  had  many  admirers  in  this  section  of  South  Carolina, 
and  this  account  of  his  home  will  be  of  interest  to  them. 
This  is,  I  suppose,  one  of  the  fullest  accounts  of  Sans  Souci, 
which  has  ever  appeared  in  a  newspaper.  The  day  I  spent  at 
Sans  Souci  was  one  of  the  most  enjoyable  of  my  school  life 
in  Greenville,  and  it  is  a  day  which  I  will  always  hold  in  pleas- 
ant memory. 

I  hope  you  are  in  the  enjoyment  of  good   health.     With 


68  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 

kind  rega  rds  to  yourself  and  the  other  members  of  your  family 
I  remain  sincerely  yours, 

McDonald  Fukman. 


It  is  two  years  this  month  since  the  veteran  statesman, 
Benjamin  F.  Perry,  died.  Governor  Perry  was  not  only  a 
statesman,  he  was  also  a  jurist  and  a  man  of  letters.  Seve- 
ral years  ago  the  vvriter  of  these  lines  was  a  cadet  at  the 
Greenville  Military  Institute,  and  I  used  sometimes  to  visit 
Governor  Pen*y  at  his  law  office  and  chat  pleasantly  with 
him.  In  June,  1882,  I  spent,  by  invitation,  a  day  at  Saus 
Souci,  as  the  Perry  mansion  is  named.  It  is  situated  about 
three  miles  from  the  city  of  Greenville.  As  it  may  be  of  in- 
terest to  your  readers  to  learn  something  about  the  home  of 
this  distinguished  South  Carolinian,  I  uive  below  an  account 
of  the  day  I  spent  at  Sans  Souci.  It  is  copied  (and  some- 
what condensed)  from  a  diary  I  kept  at  that  time. 

Perry  Beattie  (a  arandson  of  Governor  Perry)  came  for 
jne  in  a  buggy  and  drove  me  out.  I  found  the  ride  ver^ 
pleasant.  At  last  we  approached  Sans  Souci.  Mrs.  Perry 
met  nie  at  the  door  with  a  friendly  smile.  Her  daughter, 
Mrs.  William  Beattie,  was  there,  and  she,  Mrs.  Perry  and  I 
were  soon  engaged  in  a  pleasant  conversation.  Presently 
Governor  Perry  returned  from  his  law  office,  accompanied  by 
young  Sam  Townes,  who  also  spent  the  da,y  there.  After 
paitaking  of  some  nice  fruit.  Perry  Beattie  carried  Townes 
and  myself  into  the  cupola,  on  top  of  the  mansion.  The 
mountain  view  from  this  point  is  lovely,  and  it  appears  as  if 
some  beautiful  picture  was  spread  out  before  you.  A  person 
can  see  mountains  in  three  States  from  the  cupola,  viz: 
South  Carolina,  North  Carolina  and  Georgia. 

Next,  Beattie  carried  us  over  the  grounds  and  to  the  stable, 
which  is  a  large  and  handsome  brick  building,  and  everything 
is  most  complete  about  it.  Near  the  mansion  is  a  small 
stream,  with  a  tiny  fishpond  on  it,  in  which  are  some  carp. 

Sans  Souci  is  a  large  and  beautiful  brick  mansion,  and  in 
some  places  pretty  vines  are  being  trained  up  its  sides.  The 
grounds  are  beautifully  laid  off.    After  rambling  over  them. 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  69 


we  went  into  the  library,  which  is  a  most  valuable  and  ex- 
tensive one.  It  is  contained  in  two  rooms  separated  by  fold- 
ing- doors.  Governor  Perry  has  a  great  many  works  relating 
to  American  history,  which  I  looked  at.  Gentle  reader,  you 
who  love  books  and  delight  to  glance  on  the  pages  of  history, 
you  can  imagine  what  a  delightful  time  I  had.  While  I  was 
in  the  library  I  heard  sweet  strains  of  music  which  proceeded 
from  a  music  box. 

After  awhile  we  went  to  dinner.  After  this  was  over,  we 
returned  to  the  library,  where  we  engaged  in  pleasant  conver- 
sation. The  Governor  did  not  remain  long  inthe  library ;  he 
appeared  as  though  he  felt  fatijrued.  I  presume  he  took  an 
afternoon  nap. 

Later  on  in  the  afternoon  Beattie  took  Townes  and  my- 
self to  the  orchard,  where  we  found  a  tree  loaded  with  deli- 
cious (iherries.  After  eating  as  many  of  them  as  we  wished, 
Mrs.  Beattie  took  us  over  the  garden,  which  Governor  Perry 
informed  me  he  attended  to.  After  our  stroll  through  the 
garden,  Townes  and  I  said  farewell  and  returned  to  Green- 
ville. 

I  knew  I  should  have  a  good  time  at  Sans  Souci,  but  I 
had  a  far  better  time  than  I  even  anticipated  having.  Gov- 
ernor and  Mrs.  Perry  are  so  kind  arid  hospitable;  they  have 
such  a  valuable  library,  and  such  a  delightful  place,  that  a 
visitor  could  not  help  but  have  a  pleasant  time  at  Sans 
Souci.  McDonald  Furman. 

Privateer  Township,  Dec.  1,  1888. 


Greenville  in  the  Long  ago. 


THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  GREENVILLE  FEMALE  COLLEGE. 

Charleston,  S.  C,  May  17,  1887. 

Dear  Mrs.  Perry:  The  copy  of  the  Baptist  Courier, 
published  at  Greenville  under  date  of  April  21,  1887,  and 
containing;' the  pleasing-  allusion  to  3^our  lamented  and  dis- 
tinguished husband  have  come  safely  to  hand.  I  have  read 
the  article  in  it,  entitled  ''Greenville  in  the  Long  Ago,"  and 
write  to  thank  you  for  the  privilege.  I  had  always  been 
under  the  impression  that  the  Governor  had  been  largely  in- 
strumental in  securing  the  site  for  the  P'emale  College,  but 
never  before  knew  that  he  had  rendered  pjofessional  service 
in  effecting  a  transfer  of  the  Academy  building  to  our  Baptist 
friends.  It  is  but  another  evidence  of  his  large  heartedness 
and  catholicity,  and  I  am  delighted  that  the  record  of  his 
many  and  unostentatious  charities  is  being  made  in  the 
public  prt^ss.  Governor  Perry  was  profound  and  I  feel  that 
too  much  cannot  be  said  of  biw. 

With  many  thanks  for  your  very  kind  remembrance,  I  am 
dear  Mrs.  Perry,  Respectfully, 

Henry  P.  Archer. 

(The  Baptist  Courier,  April  21,  1887.) 

(The  recent  death  of  Hon.  Benjamin  F.  Perry  brings  to  the  recollection  of  the 
older  citizens  of  Greenville  many  of  the  stirring  events  of  his  long  and  useful  life, 
and  among  the  reminiscences  of  his  public  services  none  deserve  more  grateful  re- 
cognition than  the  part  borne  by  him  in  securing  the  establishment  of  the  Green- 
ville Female  College,  with  which  his  fellow  citizens  will  ever  link  his  name  in  grate- 
ful remembrance.  As  a  testimonial  of  the  services  rendered,  personally  and  pro- 
fessionally, for  which  he  refused  to  accept  pecuniary  reward,  the  citizens  of  Green- 
ville presented  him  with  n  pair  of  silver  pitchers  on  the  22d  of  .July,  1858,  and  the 
following  report  of  the  speeches  made  on  that  occasion  will  furnish  tXe  reader  of 
to-day  with  interesting  facts  connected  with  the  inception  of  an  enterprise  now  so 
vigorous  and  flourishing.  The  account  was  publis'^ed  in  the  Patriot  and  Mouu- 
tainef  r,  and  is  copied  from  Governor  Perry's  scrap  book. — Eds  Courier.) 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  71 

Presentation  Address. 

The  fol]o\vin<y  are  the  remarks  of  Dr.  Randell  Croft,  on  the 
occasion  of  presenting*  to  Hon.  B.  F.  Perry,  in  the  name  of 
the  citizens  of  Greenville,  two  costly  silver  pitchers : 

Maj.  Perry :  The  pleasing  task  has  devolved  on  me  of  pre- 
senting to  you  these  beautiful  silver  pitchers,  as  a.  small 
token  from  your  numerous  friends  and  fellow  citizens  of  their 
high  respect  for  your  many  public  and  private  virtues,  and 
in  appreciation  of  your  distinguished  services  in  the  various 
posts  of  trust  which  you  have  filled  for  many  years  past,  and 
also  in  procui-i ng  the  legal  transfer  of  the  lands  of  the  Green- 
ville Academies  to  the  State  Convention  of  the  Baptist 
Denomination  in  South  Carolina,  for  the  establishment  of 
the  Greenville  Baptist  Female  College.  I  am  proud  in 
being  the  chosen  medium  of  conveying  to  you  these 
testimonials  of  their  respect  and  efeteem.  In  performing 
this  grateful  office  of  friendship,  believe  me,  sir,  when  I  assure 
you  that  1  not  only  concur  most  heartily  in  the  tribute  thus 
offered  to  your  merit,  but  will  always  cherish  the  recollection 
of  it  as  one  of  the  most  pleasing  duties  I  have  ever  been  called 
on  to  perform. 

In  every  field  upon  which  you  hav^e  entered,  your  fellow- 
citizens  have  witnessed  with  just  pride  and  satisfaction  your, 
devotion  to  their  best  interests,  your  noble  integrity  of  pur- 
pose and  thorough  knowledge  of  the  great  questions  which' 
bear  on  the  general  weal  of  the  nation.  You,  sir,  have  ever 
been  foremost  in  any  and  every  public-spirited  work  which 
has  come  in  your  way ;  with  energy  that  never  tires,  and  with 
skill  and  tact  which  seldom  fails,  you  have  been  the  Polar 
star  to  whom  all  eyes  have  been  turned  in  every  difficult^^ 
and  in  whom  all  hearts  have  trusted  in  every  emergency. 
Deterred  by  no  danger,  awed  by  no  presence,  and  shrinking 
from  no  responsibility,  you  have  ever  moved  as  some  grand 
embodiment  of  power.  You  have  been  instrumental  in 
assisting  to  raise  up  the  noble  building  in  which  we  now 
stand,  dedicated  as  it  has  been  to  Minerva  and  the  thorough 
educating  of  our  daughters  and  sisters;  and  though  there 
may  have   been    those    who  conscientiously  and  honestly 


72  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 


differed  from  you,  those  feelings  are  now  buried  and  forgotten, 
and  all  are  pleased  to  see  this  noble  edifice  rearino-  its  broad 
frontlet  to  the  sky,  like  a  fairy  palaee  here  upon  the  swelling 
hill-top  rising  up  in  our  midst,  and  is  destined  to  reflect  much 
light  upon  the  fair  daughters  of  Carolina  and  her  sistei- 
States.  I  would  not  be  discharging  the  duty  which  1  feel  in- 
cumbent upon  me,  were  I  to  neglect  mentioning  the  many 
valuable  and  efficient  services  you  have  rendered,  not  only 
our  J::'tate,  but  our  town.  Ever  alive  to  all  schemes  for  the 
advancement  of  education,  you  have  taken  at  all  times  *i 
lively  interest  in  our  Female  College,  which,  under  its  ablf* 
and  efficient  faculty,  is  scattei-ing  broadcast  the  most  per- 
fect system  of  female  education. 

And  perhaps  there  is  no  safer  nor  surer  inode  of  diffusing 
knowledge  and  wisdom  in  a  community  than  by  the  radical 
education  of  its  females.  Have  educated  mothers.  Theii- 
influence  over  their  offspring  is  constant  and  great.  Com- 
mencing at  an  early  date,  her  influence  is  steady  and  con- 
tinuous; and  being  implanted  in  infancy,  is  never  forgotten 
or  rejected.  Of  all  the  blessings  to  a  community,  there  are 
none  which  tend  so  well  to  elevate  the  standard  of  moral  and 
intellectual  worth,  as  religious  and  educated  mothers.  Thus 
it  is  a  conceded  point,  that  female  colleges  ai-e  of  much  in- 
trinsic value  to  our  State  and  the  republic. 

Greenville  by  her  literary  institutions  has  made  herself  the 
Athens  of  Carolina,  and  from  having  been  a  small,  quiet  vil- 
lage, is  fast  expanding  into  a  large  and  populous  town— her 
streets  crowded  with  commerce,  and  her  academic  groves  i-e- 
soundin^  with  the  teaching  of  science  and  the  diffusion  of 
truth  and  knowledge.  To  no  one  more  than  to  j^ourself  are 
thanks  due  for  all  these  literary  privileges  and  blessings. 

Reared  and  brought  up  in  this  community,  it  has  long 
since  known  your  sterling  virtues.  You  have  wrungapplause 
even  from  the  reluctant,  and  gained  lustre  from  your  rivals. 
The  still  but  steady  intellectual  and  moral  triumphs  of  your 
victories  are  emblazoned  on  the  page  of  our  history.  Still 
vou  must  not  expect  to  escape  attacks  which  your  greatness 
has  invited  ;  for,  "'be  thou  as  chaste  as  ice,  as  pure  as  snow. 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  78 


thou  shalt  not  escape  calninnj.'*  At  the  Bar  you  have  not 
only  reached  the  highest  standard  of  forensic  power  and 
mature  erudition,  but  you  liave  constantly  and  steadily  kept 
in  view  the  great  ends  of  equity  and  justice,  as  of  far  higher 
importance  than  the  mere  triumphs  of  the  advocate.  In  the 
Legislature  you  have,  by  a  true  devotion  to  the  interests  of 
Carolina,  aided  in  enacting  many  laws  of  vast  importance  to 
the  present  and  future  generations.  Nay,  you  have  gone 
further.  By  your  own  forecast  and  wisdom,  you  have 
stamped  your  mark  on  the  age  in  which  we  live  in  characters 
indelible.    You  have  built  for youi-self  an  enviable  reputation. 

In  politics  always  consistent,  firm  and  true  to  your  honest 
convictions,  you  have  towered  far  above  the  ordinary  level, 
and  commanded  the  high  respect  and  admiration  of  those 
who  differed  from  you  most.  You  have  been  ever  recognized 
as  the  fearless  and  able  champion  of  truth  and  justice — the 
firm  and  steady  friend,  the  open  and  generous  opponent.  In 
every  department  of  your  labors,  your  charactei*  stands  forth 
like  some  fair  Corinthian  column — majestic  in  its  strength, 
just  in  all  its  proportions,  resting  on  a  base  of  broad  dimen- 
sions, rising  in  perfect  symmetry,  surmounted  with  a  capital 
of  unequaled  perfection  and  beauty,  presenting  to  the  eye  a 
specimen  of  completeness  and  strength— the  just  embodiment 
of  the  truth  that  there  must  be  wisdom  to  devise,  strength 
to  support,  and  beauty  to  adorn  all  great  and  important 
undertakings. 

I  might  dwell  longer  on  your  valuable  services  to  the  cause 
of  education,  both  in  our  own  district  and  the  State  at  la  rge, 
but,  sir,  I  am  not  here  to  eulogize.  Your  deeds  are  on  record  as 
a  part  of  your  country's  history,  and  your  virtues  are  en- 
shiined  in  the  grateful  hearts  of  your  countrymen.  Both 
shall  live  long  after  you  have  been  gathered  to  your  fathers. 

And  now,  in  the  name  of  your  friends,  allow  me  to  present 
to  you  these  pitchers,  which  I  know  you  will  keep  and  hand 
down  to  your  children  as  an  enduring  token  of  the  love  and 
esteem  of  those  who  knew  you  long  and  well ;  and  also  as  a 
beautiful  and  lasting  memento  Of  their  fathei-'s identification 
with  the  cause  of  female  learning  and  woman's  happiness. 
I  have  only  to  add,  sir,  that  along  with  this  slight  tribute  I 


74  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 

now,  as  the  organ  of  your  friends,  present  you,  wish  to  assure 
you  of  their  continued  interest  in  your  welfare,  and  to  convey 
to  you  their  best  wishes  for  your  future  happiness  and  pros- 
perity, and  that  they  join  me  in  wishingyou  health,  happiness 
and  political  distinction  in  time,  and  in  eternity  endless  joys. 

Remarks  of  Hon.  B.  F.  Perry. 

Dr.  Croft :  I  accept,  sir,  with  mingled  emotions  of  pride  and 
gratitude,  the  beautiful  testimonial  of  my  fellow-citizens  of 
Greenville,  so  flatteringly  tendered  by  you  on  the  present  oc- 
casion. No  event  of  my  professional  life  has  impressed  more 
strongly  the  feelings  of  my  heart.  To  know  that  my  services 
are  valued  and  appreciated  is  a  high  consolation,  but  it  is  a 
much  higher  one  to  know  that  I  have  personally  the  respect 
and  esteem  of  those  with  whom  my  life  has  been  spent,  and 
to  whose  service,  professionally  and  politically,  its  best  ener- 
gies have  been  dedicated. 

You  and  1,  sir,  were  school  companions,  and  an  unbroken 
friendship  of  thirty-five  years  has  existed  between  us.  To 
this,  sir,  and  the  kindness  of  your  nature  and  the  warmth  of 
your  heart,  ever  alive  to  friendship  and  friends,  moi-e than  to 
any  merit  of  mine,  must  be  attributed  the  complimentary 
terms  in  which  you  have  seen  proper  to  address  me.  My  life  has 
been  an  humble  one,  and  my  sphere  of  action  very  limited, 
but  in  my  humble  and  limited  way  I  have  endeavored  to  dis- 
charge my  duty  faithfully  and  fearlessly.  This  is  all  the 
merit  I  have.  Tt  is  true,  the  statesman,  patriot  and  hero  can 
claim  no  higher. 

In  procuring  the  transfer  of  the  Greenville  Academies  for 
the  endowment  of  a  female  (X)llege,  my  professional  services 
were  rendered  freely,  voluntarily  and  zealously,  without  the 
hope  of  fee  or  reward,  except  that  most  grateful  of  all  re- 
wards to  an  honorable  mind — the  consciousness  of  having 
done  a  public  good.  Throughout  my  exertions  to  accomp- 
lish this  most  laudable  purpose,  I  felt  that  I  was  laboring  in 
a  noble  cause — the  cause  of  female  education — whose  im- 
portance you  and  others  here  tn-day  have  so  well  illustrated 
in   your  brief  remarks.     What  greater  blessing  can  society 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  75 


secure  than  the  education  of  hei-  daughters  ?  It  appeals  to 
the  heart  of  every  one. 

The  transfer  of  the  Greenville  Academies  was  a  necessity 
springing  out  of  the  circumstances  which  surrounded  us. 
Forty  years  ago,  the  citizens  of  (ireenville,  then  a  village 
composed  of  a  dozen  or  two  stragliug  houses  and  a  popula- 
tion of  a  hundred  and  fifty  or  two  hundred  persons,  deter- 
mined, with  a  public  spirit  and  liberality  which  reflects  the 
highest  credit,  to  have  within  theii*  own  little  community  the 
means  of  educating  well  their  sons  and  daughters.  They 
were  unwilling  to  send  abroad  their  children  to  be  educated. 
They  felt  the  importance  of  a  child  being  under  the  constant 
care  and  watchfulness  of  the  parent.  They  were  also  in- 
fluenced by  a  more  unselfish  consideration  than  all  this. 
They  were  anxious  that  those  who  had  not  the  means  of 
sending  their  sons  and  daughters  from  home  to  be  educated 
should  have  access  to  classical  schools  within  their  own 
neighborhood.  For  this  purpose  the  Earles,  Thompsons, 
Clevelands,  Toneys,  Blassingames,  Sloans,  Craytons,  and 
others  subscribed  most  liberally  to  the  erection  of  two  beau- 
tiful brick  Academies  in  the  village  of  Greenville.  Vardry 
McBee,  our  worthy  and  public-spirited  patriarch  and  land- 
grave who  still  survives  to  bless  his  country  with  his  noble 
charities  and  munificent  public  donations,  gave  this  mag- 
nificent site,  with  surroundingacres,  for  the  location  of  these 
schools. 

The  Academies  went  into  immediate  operation,  and  flour- 
ished and  prospered,  disseminating  a  most  benign  influence 
throughout  the  district.  I  am  gratified  to  see  here,  on  this 
occasion,  the  venerable  gentleman.  Dr.  Johnson,  under  whose 
care  and  management  the  Female  Academy  was  so  long  con- 
ducted with  honor  to  himself  and  the  highest  usefulness  to 
his  country,  and  to  whom  so  many  of  the  ladies  of  the  up- 
country  are  indebted  for  a  thorough  and  liberal  education. 
A  change  came  over  the  people.  The  spirit  of  education 
went  abroad,  and  hundreds  and  thousands  felt  its  influence 
who  otherwise  would  have  been  destitnte  of  its  liberal  advan- 
tages. Our  little  village  grew  and  prospered,  and  became 
a  place  of  fashionable  resort  in  the  summer  months  for  the 


76  BeDJamin  Franklin  Perry. 


wealthy  and  refined  planter  and  merchant  of  the  low  coun- 
try. The  commerce  of  Greenville,  its  a«:riculture  and  me- 
chanic arts  kept  pace  with  the  profjjress  of  education.  And 
now,  sir,  this  mountain  village  ranks  as  the  third  town  in 
the  State,  and  next  to  the  capital  of  the  State — two  miles  in 
extent,  with  apopulation  of  threeorfour  thousand  persons. (*) 

The  establishment  of  that  noble  institution  in  our  midst, 
the  Furman  University,  which  is  disseminating  its  influence 
all  over  the  State,  gave  a  new  and  hi^rher  impetus  to  the 
cause  of  education,  and  superceded  entirely  the  necessity  of 
the  Greenville  Male  Academy.  This  induced  the  enquiry 
among  our  citizens  as  to  the  propriety  of  establishing  a 
higher  standard  of  female  education  in  our  community,  and 
uniting  the  two  Academies  in  the  endowment  of  a  female 
college,  with  liberal  contributions  in  money  on  the  part  of 
the  citizens  for  its  support.  A  town  meeting  was  called  to 
consider  the  proposition.  The  ladies  became  interested  in 
the  question,  as  well  they  might.  They  honoi'ed  us  with 
their  presence  at  our  public  meeting,  and  cheered  us  on  by 
their  smiles  and  approval.  Fighting  under  such  auspices 
and  in  such  a  cause,  it  is  not  strange  that  we  were  successful. 
The  question  then  came  up  in  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
Academies,  and  was  carried.  Every  step  taken  was  an  ova- 
tion triumphal.  In  order  to  satisfy  the  consciences  of  the 
over  scrupulous  as  to  our  legal  right  to  i:>ake  the  transfer, 
we  resorted  to  the  Court  of  Chancery.  Through  all  its  his- 
tory, this  high  Court  has  been  the  guardian  protector  of  the 
rights  of  women  and  minors.  Here  again  the  ladies  met  us 
and  graced  the  Court  with  their  presence,  and  listened  with 
seeming  interest  to  legal  arguments  on  trust  and  corpora- 
tions. His  Honor,  the  Chancellor  Wardlaw,  ordered  the 
transfer  to  be  made.  An  appeal  was  taken  from  his  decision. 
It  was  argued  elaborately  before  a  full  Bench  of  Chancellors. 
They  decided  that  the  Trustees  could  have  made  the  trans- 
fer without  the  aid  of  the  Courts.  This  was  in  conformity 
with  the  legal  opinion  I  had  first  given. 

But  in  orch^r  to  make  assurance  doubly  sure,   we  appealed 


(*)NoTK. — III  1888  has  a  population  of  between  nine  and  ten  thousand 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  77 

to  the  Leftislature,  late  in  the  session  and  late  at  night  as  my 
friend  and  colleague,  Perry  E. Duncan,  now  present, well  knows. 
The  bill  passed  the  House  sub  silentio.  It  was  a  march 
stolen  on  the  enemy.  But  in  the  Senate  their  agents  met  it, 
and  it  was  nobly  fought  through  by  our  Senator,  Col.  Brock- 
man,  about  12  o'clock,  who  then  retired  to  sleep  on  his  laurels. 
We  had  now  to  carry  the  question  in  the  Baptist  State  Con- 
vention, or  all  was  lost.  Here  once  more  we  were  indebted 
to  the  influence  of  the  ladies.  They  came  to  the  discussion. 
During  its  progress,  they  influenced  those  who  came  to  op- 
pose to  become  its  warmest  advocates.  They  pointed  out 
the  beautiful  location  to  the  members,  commanding  a  magni- 
ficent view  of  the  mountains  and  over-looking  the  village. 
They  spoke  of  the  value  of  the  property,  the  liberal  sub- 
scriptions of  their  husbands  and  brothers,  and  its  great  im- 
portance to  the  community.  All  they  asked  was  for  the  Con- 
vention to  take  charge  of  the  valuable  property  and  manage 
it  for  the  education  of  their  daughters.  The  transfer  was 
m  a  d e  i\  n d  accepted . 

Now,  sir,  I  appeal  to  the  opponents  of  that  measure, 
whether  all  that  was  predicted  throughout thediscussion  has 
not  been  realized?  What  was  then  said  at  our  public  meet- 
ings and  in  our  Courts  as  prophecy  has  now  become  the 
truth  of  history.  The  mothers  here  present  and  their  fair 
daughters  can  rise  up  as  witnesses  for  me.  This  beautiful 
structure,  classic  in  all  its  proi)ortions,  dedicated  as  you 
have  said  to  Minerva,  at  once  the  pride  of  our  village  and 
the  ornament  of  the  place,  bears  me  witness.  An  able  and 
learned  corps  of  professors  in  every  branch  of  female  educa- 
tion, one  which  would  do  honor  to  any  similar  institution  in 
the  United  States,  is  my  best  witness.  The  compositions 
read  in  our  hearing  to-day  from  the  graduates  would  not 
only  do  credit  to  the  graduating  pupils  of  any  college,  male 
or  female,  but  would  do  no  discreditto  thelearned  professors 
of  those  colleges  for  thought,  taste  or  sentiment.  Young 
ladies  are  sent  here  from  every  part  of  the  country  to  be 
educated.  Gentlemen  with  their  families  are  settling  here  on 
account  of  our  colleges,  adding  to  the  interest  and  pleasure 
of  our  society,  and  contributing  their  wealth  to  the  growth 


78  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 


and  prosperity  of  our  town.  The  merchants,  mechanics, 
farmers  and  boarding-house  keepers  are  all  reaping  the  rich 
fruits  of  their  attraction,  whilst  our  children  are  blessed  to 
bless  others  with  the  great  principles  of  learning,  education 
and  science 

The  most  sanguine  hopes  of  our  citizens  have  been  realized, 
and  the  (ireenville  Female  College  is  established  beyond  con- 
tingency. Our  beautiful  village,  with  its  noble  scenery,  fine 
climate,  railroad  facilities,  and  abundant  surrounding 
agricultural  products,  will  continue  to  attract  hither  the 
wealth  and  refinement  of  the  country  throughout  its  length 
and  breadth.  All  are  impressed  with  the  importance  of 
female  education.  Woman  is  recognized  as  the  intellectual 
companion  of  man,  and  should  be  his  co-equal  in  education. 
The  influence  of  woman  on  society  is  more  deeply  felt  than 
that  of  man.  To  her  belongs  the  training  of  the  child  for 
good  or  evil,  which  he  never  forgets  in  after  life.  From  the 
mother  the  son  receives  his  early  religious  principles,  his 
virtue,  his  sense  of  honor  and  propriety.  Virginia's  great 
orator  and  statesman,  John  Randolph  of  Roanoke,  erratic 
in  everything,  once  said,  most  beautifully  and  feelingly,  that 
he  would  have  been  an  infidel  but  for  the  remembrance  of  his 
mother's  taking  his  little  hands  between  hers  in  childhood 
and  making  him  repeat  every  night  before  going  to  bed  the 
Lord's  Pj'ayer. 

If  we  will  examine  into  history,  we  shall  find  that  great 
men  have  always  had  great  mothers.  The  mother  of  Lord 
Bacon,  styled  by  the  poet  the  greatest  and  wisest  of  man- 
kind, was  a  woman  pre-eminent  for  her  intellectual  endow- 
ments The  mother  of  Napoleon,  whose  genius  over- 
shadowed that  of  all  others  in  ancient  or  modern  times,  was 
a  most  remarkable  woman.  Washington's  mother  was 
worthy  of  her  illustrious  son,  and  a  higher  compliment  no 
woman  can  receive.  So  were  the  mothers  of  Jefferson, 
Adams,  Clay,  Calhoun  and  Webster. 

In  many  of  the  higher  qualities  of  our  nature  woman  is 
superior  to  man.  She  possesses  in  an  eminent  degree  that 
wisdom  of  the  heart  which  never  errs,  and  always  brings  her 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  79 


to  conclusions  correct  where  man's  reason  and  judgment  may 
faH  him. 

There  is  one  error  in  female  education  which  is  radical  and 
pernicious,  and  should  be  corrected.  Our  sons  never  complete 
theii*  education  before  they  areneargrown,  twenty  or  twenty- 
one  years  old.  How  is  it  then  possible  for  our  daughters  to 
be  educated  by  the  time  they  are  fifteen  or  sixteen?  Whilst 
such  a  course  is  pursued  their  education  must  be  superficial. 
It  is  impossible  for  their  young  and  tender  minds  to  be 
thoroughly  taught,  and  their  education  complete  at  such  an 
age.  When  they  quit  school  at  nineteen  and  twenty,  they 
will  find  that  they  have  only  laid  the  foundation  of  a  good 
education,  and  its  superstructure  has  yet  to  be  built. 

Happiness  is  the  desire  of  all,  and  I  know  all  are  anxious 
to  commence  its  early  pursuit  in  this  wide  world.  Let  me 
here  tell  my  young  friends  that  they  must  search  for  it  not 
only  at  home  but  within  themselves,  or  they  will  never  find 
it.  God  in  His  infinite  wisdom,  goodness  and  mercy,  has 
ordained  that  happiness  shall  belong  to  no  class,  rank  or 
position  in  society.  Honor,  wealth  and  distinction  cannot 
give  it.  Nor  is  poverty,  obscurity  or  humility  a  barrier  to 
its  possession:  VVe  must  look  to  the  heart,  the  mind,  educa- 
tion and  temperament,  for  happiness — nowhere  else. 

In  conclusion,  sir,  let  me  return  through  you,  to  my  fellow- 
citizens  of  Greenville,  my  most  grateful  thanks  for  their 
valued  and  unexpected  present.  Tell  them,  sir,  that  their 
kindness  has  filled  my  heart  with  feelings  to  which  I  cannot 
give  utterance.  Say  to  them  that  these  costly  pitchers,  v>'ith 
their  honoiing  inscription,  are  valued  above  all  price,  and 
shall  be  treasured  with  my  life  and  honor.  They  shall 
descend  to  my  children  and  to  my  children's  children,  to  in- 
spire their  hearts  with  those  feelings  of  respect  and  af- 
fection which  I  have  always  felt  toward  the  people  of  Green- 
ville. All  that  I  am,  all  that  I  ever  expect  to  be,  I  owe  to 
their  kindness  and  generous  support,  politically  and  profes- 
sionally. In  the  darkest  period  of  my  life,  amidst  cruel  abuse 
heaped  on  me  for  sustaining  and  defending  the  cherished  po- 
litical sentiments  of  the  great  heart  of  Washington  and  his 
dying  legacy  to  his  countryjaien,  they  rallied  around  me  and 


80  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 

g:ave  me  their  entire  confidence.  And  here  I  say,  in  their  de- 
fence and  in  my  defence,  that  my  heart  neverfelt  nor  ray  mind 
never  conceived  a  feeling-  or  sentiment  towards  my  country 
which  was  not  in  accordance  with  every  act  and  every  word 
of  the  great  Pater  Patria.  Brought  up  in  the  political  school 
of  Washington,  I  have  made  war  against  sectionalism  all 
my  life,  as  destructive  of  the  best  interests  of  the  Republic, 
whilst  I  have  defended  with  equal  zeal  the  Federal  Constitu- 
tion, the  rights  of  the  States,  and  the  true  interests  of  the 
South.  In  my  fidelity  to  the  Union,  I  have  not  loved  less  but 
more  the  State  whicli  gave  me  birth  and  is  my  home.  To 
her  my  first  allegiance  is  due ;  but  far  above  this  feeling  and 
stronger  than  this  tie,  is  my  love  and  devotion  to  Greenville, 
her  people,  her  institutions,  her  mountains,  W[\^  everything 
that  is  hers. 


^i^m^ 


w^mfmwm^^^mw^m^^m^' 


SPEECH 

tlie  Merchants,  Mechanics  and  Business  Men  of  Columbia,  December  U,  1853, 

By  HON.  B.  F.  PERRY,  of  Greenville,  S.  C. 


Fellow-Citizens:  It  is  with  ^reat  pleasure  that  I  appear 
before  you  this  evening  to  address  the  mechanics,  merchants 
and  business  men  of  Cohimbia  on  a  subject  of  so  much  im- 
portance, and  so  deeply  interesting  to  all  of  us,  as  that  of 
Popular  E]ducation.  Your  kind  invitation  yesterday  morn- 
ing, and  the  manifestations  of  regard  which  you  have  given 
me,  have  found  a  lodgment  in  my  heart  which  neither  time 
nor  circumstances  can  displace.  I  regret,  fellow-citizens,  that 
the  short  notice  g^iven  me,  and  my  legislative  duties  since, 
have  prevented  me  making  that  preparation  which  my  re- 
spect  for  you  and  the  importance  of  the  subject  demand. 
But  such  as  I  have  I  give  unto  you. 

Every  one  who  loves  his  country,  and  every  one  who  loves 
his  fellow-man,  should  feel  and  take  a  deep  interest  in  popu- 
lar education.  What  can  give  the  heart  of  the  patriot  and 
philanthropist  more  real  gratification  than  to  see  his  fellow- 
man  placed  in  a  condition  where  he  may  acquire  knowledge 
and  virtue,  religion  and  happiness  and  prosperity?  Can  any 
one  be  insensible  to  those  means  which  are  to  elevate  and  dig- 
nify the  human  mind,  which  are  calculated  to  raise  the  hum- 
ble and  lowly  from  vice  to  virtue  and  from  ignorance  to 
knowledge. 

On  popular  education  depends  the  stability  and  contin- 
uance of  our  Republican  institutions.  No  people  can  sustain 
a  Republic  who  have  not  virtue  and  intelligence.  All  history 
proves  the  truth  of  this  assertion.  Look  at  Mexico,  in  a 
constant  state  of  revolution  and  despotism,  and  all  the  time 
struggling  for  a  Republican  form  of  government.  Not  one 
man  in  one  hundred  of  that  unfortunate  people  can  read  and 


82.  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 

write.  So  rare  is  the  capacity  to  write,  that  one  meets  in  the 
streets  of  Mexico  professional  letter  writers,  with  ink  and 
pen,  ready  to  be  employed  by  the  thousands  who  are  unedu- 
cated and  who  may  wish  to  correspond  with  a  friend  or  a 
sweetheart.  Look  at  France,  with  all  of  her  science  and  lit- 
erature, but  still  without  popular  education,  pulling- down 
her  Republican  form  of  government  as  soon  as  it  is  estab- 
lished ! 

Some  years  ago,  when  Louis  Philippe  was  hurled  from  his 
throne  and  the  French  Republic  established  on  its  ruins,  I 
congratulated  the  cause  of  human  libarty  and  R:^publicanism 
on  the  establishment  of  a  popular  government  in  the  centre 
of  Europe,  surrounded  by  kings  and  emperors.  I  thought 
the  people  of  France  capable  of  self-government,  from  the 
fact  that  their  landed  estates  were  divided  into  the  smallest 
farms  imaginable.  I  thought  this  would  give  the  people  an 
interest  in  government  which  would  secure  and  perpetuate 
the  Republic.  But  I  did  not  reflect  on  the  want  of  popular 
education  in  France.  The  great  masses  of  people  there  are 
still  unable  to  read  and  write,  notwithstanding  the  science 
and  literature  of  the  chosen  few. 

In  ancient  (jreece  there  was  very  little  education  amongst 
the  masses,  and  the  powers  of  government  were  in  the  hands 
of  the  educated  few.  Athens  was  a  republic  only  in  name. 
The  people  were  governed  absolutely  and  despotically,  though 
voluntarily,  by  their  oratoi's  and  great  men.  In  no  country 
in  the  world,  perhaps,  liad  an  oi'ator  more  complete  control 
of  the  uiasses  than  in  Athens.  He  moved  them  and  swayed 
them  at  his  will.  They  came  to  hear  him  to  get  information, 
and  in  their  ignorance  were  unable  to  controvert  anything 
he  said  or  did.  How  different  it  is  in  modern  times,  and 
^^specially  in  these  United  States,  where  popular  education  is 
so  general.  Here  the  orator  addresses  those  on  the  same 
platform  of  knowledge  as  himself.  The  audience  are  his 
equals  in  education,  in  knowledge  and  in  thought.  The  views 
he  may  express  are  the  same  views  which  have  occurred  to 
hundreds  whom  he  is  addressing. 

In  Rome  there  was  more  of  popular  education  than  in 
GrecHte,  and  more  of  self-government  during  the  existence  of 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  8S 

the  Republic.  But  still,  education  was  not  general,  as  it  is 
in  modern  times ;  and  necessarily  could  not  be,  whilst  the 
art  of  printi  no;  was  u  nkno \vn  to  the  world .  Books  were  scarce 
and  costly  whilst  in  manuscript.  It  was  a  labor  to  make  a 
single  copy  of  a  history  or  philosophical  work.  Thanks  to 
the  art  of  pi-inting,  this  is  no  longer  the  case.  And  a  free 
press,  whilst  it  dissemminates  knowledge  and  information, 
has  become  one  of  the  great  bulwarks  of  liberty  and  virtue. 
But  a  servile  and  slavish  press,  the  mouth-piece  of  cliques 
and  parties,  is  one  of  the  greatest  curses  which  can  be  inflicted 
on  any  country. 

In  the  dark  ages  which  ensued  the  fall  of  the  Roman  Em- 
pire, all  the  learning  and  education  of  the  world  were  con- 
fined to  the  clergy.  They,  too,  had  all  the  power  and  politi- 
cal influence  of  Europe  in  their  hands,  showing  that  educa- 
tion and  political  power  are  inseparable.  The  kings  and 
princes  of  Europe  were,  in  the  dark  ages,  under  the  control 
and  influence  of  the  educated  priesthood.  At  the  will  of  the 
Pope  they  were  dethroned  and  made  beggars  in  their  own  do- 
minions! They  were  ignorant  and  so  were  their  nobility. 
Reading  and  writing  were  rare  qualities  amongst  sovereigns 
and  lords.  They  had  seals  for  the  purpose  of  affixing  their 
signatures  to  deeds  and  grants  I 

But,  fellow-citizens,  a  great  change  has  come  over  the  world 
since  those  days.  The  tyranny  and  despotism  of  Europe 
have,  in  a  great  measure,  been  dispelled  by  popular  educa- 
tion. As  the  human  mind  has  been  enlightened,  the  shackles 
of  despotism  have  fallen  from  the  hands  of  the  people.  All 
the  governments  of  Europe  have  become  freer  and  more  lib- 
eralized, and  the  people  have  become  more  educated  and  more 
intelligent.  In  this  respect  the  United  States  are  peculiarly 
blessed,  and  have  been  since  the  first  settlement  of  the  Cohi- 
nies. 

The  Pilgrims  of  Massachusetts  were  educated.  They  could 
read  and  write.  Their  education  caused  them  to  feel  deeply 
their  religious  aiid  political  oppressions.  Their  minds  were 
elevated,  and  they  had  imbibed  a  spirit  and  energy  which 
forced  them  to  leave  their  homes  and  their  country  and  kin- 
dred, and  seek  a  habitation   in   a   howling  wilderness  rather 


84  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 

than  submit  their  necka  to  the  iron  heel  of  the  oppressor. 
They  believed  it  to  be  their  sacred  duty  to  teach  every  one  to 
read  the  Word  of  God.  Popular  education  was  thus  handed 
down  from  sire  to  son  amidst  the  descendants  of  the  Pilgrim 
Fathers.  Its  effects  and  consequences  are  now  blessin<>:  all 
New  England  with  religion,  morality,  literature,  science,  re- 
publicanism, wealth  and  prosperity. 

The  Roundheads  and  Cavaliers  of  Virginia  also  brought 
with  them  a  love  of  popular  education  and  a  love  of  lib- 
erty which  nothing  has  or  can  depress.  So  it  was 
with  the  first  settlers  of  South  Carolina.  Shortly  af- 
terwards came  the  Huguenots,  who  were  French  artisans 
and  mechanics.  They  wereeducated  and  with  their  education 
had  imbibed  a  spirit  of  freedom  and  a  love  of  religious  toler- 
ation. From  these  mechanics  have  descended  many  of  the 
first  families  of  South  Carolina. 

But,  fellow-citizens,  look  these  United  States  over  and  ask 
yourselves  what  this  popular  education,  this  half-education, 
the  scorn  of  some,  has  done  for  the  country,  and  the  great 
men  of  the  country.  George  Washington  was  no  graduate 
of  a  college,  and  there  was  nothing  thorough  in  his  educa- 
tion. He  had  recteived  only  the  common  rudiments  of  an 
English  education— such  as  the  common  boys  of  the  country 
now  receive  at  the  commonest  schools  of  the  country.  He 
was  a  good  surveyor  and  wrote  afair  and  legible  hand.  With 
this  small  capital  in  the  way  of  education  to  commence  with, 
he  improved  himself  and  rose  to  an  elevation,  in  moral  great- 
ness, which  no  other  man  in  the  world  ever  did  possess.  He 
established  a  republic  and  achieved  the  independence  of  his 
country.  Long  may  this  great  and  gloiious  confederacy  of 
sovereign  and  independent  States  endure  as  the  monument 
of  his  virtue,  wisdom  and  patriotism  I 

Dr.  P^'ranklin  was  another  of  those  half-educated  boys,  who 
some  would  have  us  believe  are  rendered  vicious  and  idle  by 
a  little  school  instruction.  He  was  the  son  of  a  poor  tallow 
chandler,  and  to  say  that  he  was  half-educated  is  saying 
more  than  was  true.  He  could  read  and  write  and  cypher  a 
little,  and  that  was  the  extent  of  his  education.  But  with 
this  little  smattering  of  knowledge,  what  did  he  do?    He  was 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  85 


-X 


a  printer's  boy,  and  whilst  others  were  idling!,*  away  their 
time,  he  was  nsinp;  these'  implements,  obtained  at  a  common 
school,  to  unlock  the  whole  range  of  science  and  make  him-, 
self  the  most  illustrious  philosopher  of  his  age!  He  became 
the  friend  of  the  great  and  the  learned  and  the  companion  of 
nobles,  princes  and  kings!  His  discoveries  and  inventions 
were  the  admiration  of  the  world,  and  have  proved  him  one 
of  thegreatest  benefactors  of  mankind  !  What  could  he  have 
been  without  the  little  education  he  received  in  childhood? 
Perhaps  a  &ood  tallow  chandler,  though  possibly  a  vicious 
and  wicked  man  and  a  nuisance  to  society,  instead  of  a  pa- 
triot statesman,  philosopher  and  philanthropist! 

In  passing  through  the  upper  part  of  the  State  some  years 
since,  I  met  an  old  lady,  Mrs.  Stephenson,  who  had  been  the 
school  companion  of  Oeneral  Jackson.  She  told  me  an  inci- 
dent in  his  life  that  I  never  knew  before,  but*  which  1  have 
since  seen  stated  by  his  biographer.  When  a  boy  he  worked 
at  the  saddler's  trade,  near  the  Waxahaw's,  in  Lancaster 
Distri{tt,  with  a  man  by  the  name  of  White.  His  education 
consisted  of  a  knowledge  to  read  and  write  and  cypher.  But 
with  this  little  learning,  he  made  his  way  to  the  Presidency 
of  the  United  States,  and  became  the  most  popular  Chief 
Magistrate  since  the  administration  of  Washington. 

Alexander  Hamilton,  perhaps  the  greatest  intellect  the 
United  States  ever  produced,  quit  school  at  thirteen,  with 
only  the  rudiments  of  a  common  English  education.  Clay, 
the  greatest  and  most  accomplished  of  American  orators, 
had  nothing  more  than  a  common  popular  school  education. 
General  Green  was  a  blacksmith  and  received  his  whole  edu- 
<;ation  in  the  common  schools  of  Rhode  Island.  But,  having 
been  taught  to  read  and  write,  he  procured  books  and  im- 
proved his  mind.  He  became  a  w^ell  informed  man,  and 
ranked,  as  a  General,  next  to  W' ashington.  He  reconquered 
South  Carolina  and  restored  herto  the  American  Confederacy. 
Roger  Sherman,  one  of  the  greatest  men  of  the  old  Congress, 
was  a  shoemaker.  Patrick  Henry  had  very  little  education, 
yet  lie  had  enough  to  shake  the  throne  of  Great  Britain  to 
its  centre  and  infuse  into  the  minds  of  the  American  people 


86  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 


the  seeds  of  a  revolution  which  establisherl  their  indepen- 
dence ! 

But  one  of  the  most  remarkable  instances  of  self-education 
in  tlie  United  States  is  that  of  the  present  Governor  of  Ten- 
nessee. He  was  married  early  in  life  and  his  wife  tau,2:ht  him 
to  write  after  their  marriage.  He  was  a  tailor,  and  traveled 
vith  his  wife  on  foot  from  North  Carolina,  where  he  was  born, 
into  Tennessee.  There  he  established  himself  as  atailor  and 
for  many  years  cairied  on  his  trade.  Whilst  a  member  of 
Congress  he  still  kept  his  shop.  He  is  now  Governor  of  Ten- 
nessee! (*) 

I  might  mention  very  many  of  the  greatest  names  of  Eu- 
rope, whose  education  was  not  superior  to  those  I  have  al- 
ready named.  Shakspeare  himself  was  of  that  class.  Ben 
Johnson  was  a  bricklayer.  Burns,  tlie  great  poet  of  Scot- 
land, who  sung  to  the  human  heart  as  no  other  poet  ever 
did  sing,  was  a  ploughman  and  a  common  laborer— and  but 
for  his  little  schooling  the  world  would  now  be  without  his 
poems! 

Napoleon  Bonaparte  himself  was  no  classical  scholar  or 
college  graduate.  He  was  the  student  of  a  military  school, 
and  was  thoroughly  taught  the  s(*ience  of  war  as  it  was  then 
understood.  But  he  was  thorough  in  nothing  else.  Yet  he 
became,  in  the  strength  of  his  power  and  glory,  the  destroyer 
of  the  thrones  and  crowns  of  all  continental  Europe.  Kings 
and  Emperors  were  his  playthings,  and  he  moved  them  at  his 
will,  as  if  they  had  been  on  a  chess  board.  Many  of  his  field 
marshals  had  still  less  of  education. 

What  is  education,  thorough  oi*  partial,  but  the  means  of 
opening  to  the  human  mind,  the  vast  treasuresof  science  and 
learning?  Education  is  like  a  mechanic's  tools.  It  is  the  in- 
strument with  which  he  acquires  knowledge,  power,  wealth  and 
happiness.  A  poor  education  may  be  likened  to  a  poor  axe, 
which  requires  harder  blows  and  more  of  them,  to  cut  down 
a  forest  tree.  Still  it  is  better  to  have  a.  dull  axe  than  none 
at  all.  But  1  am  told  a  little  learning  is  a  danjrerous  thing! 
How  can  that  be?    There  never  was  a  greater  falsehood  per- 

(*)NoTE. — Andrew  .Tohnson,  afterwardB  President  of  the  Unitc'd  Stat.e8. 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  87 


petratod  than  i8  oontained  in  this  quaint  saying.  Is  a  little 
religion  worse  than  no  relio^ion  at  all?  Is  a  little  charity 
worse  than  none?  Is  a  little  money  worse  than  no  money? 
Who  ever  heard  of  such  a  monstrous  proposition  ?  No,  fel- 
low-citizens, it  is  certainly  best  to  ha.ve  a  thorough  educa- 
tion, but  it  is  much  better  to  have  a  smattering  than  none 
at  alL  :    ; 

We  are  so  constituted  by  an  all-wise  God  that  we  must 
have  employment.  Man  cannot  be  idle.  If  not  properly  em- 
ployed, he  will  be  idly  or  viciously  em  ployed.  Thedandy  has 
his  employments  as  well  as  the  mechanic.  The  fashionable 
lady  who  spends  three  or  four  hours  every  day  at  her  toilette, 
is  perhaps  as  constantly  employed  as  the  housewife  who  su- 
perintends her  domestic  affairs.  Nor  can  we  always  be  em- 
ployed at  the  same  pursuit.  Variety  is  said  to  be  the  spice 
of  life.  So  it  is  with  the  mechanic,  the  laborer,  the  law- 
yer, merchant  and  doctoi*.  We  all  require  relaxation. 
When  the  mechanic  is  tired  of  his  labor  he  may  seek  and  en- 
joy rest  with  a  good  book  in  his  hand.  In  this  way  he  im- 
proves his  mind  and  his  heart,  and  elevates  himself  by  his 
recreation.  But  suppose  he  is  without  education  and  does 
not  know  how  to  read  and  write?  He  will  have  to  seek 
amusement  in  some  other  way  than  by  resorting  to  books. 
Perhaps  he  will  indulge  in  some  wicked  sport. 

But  how  inestimable  is  the  value  of  knowing  how  to  read 
and  write,  when  the  humblest  man  goes  from  home  or  moves 
into  a  strange  land,  and  desires  to  correspond  with  his 
friends  and  relations.  Is  not  a  little  learning,  then,  of  value, 
and  to  be  prized  as  contributing  to  the  happiness  of  life? 
What  would  the  condition  of  the  mechanic  be  without  the 
ability  of  keeping  his  accounts  and  making  his  calculations 
in  regard  to  his  trade?  Popular  education  is  properly 
attainable  in  four  places,  and  all  four  are,  in  some  measure, 
absolutely  necessary  to  education  in  a  republic.  The  school 
house,  the  church,  the  ballot-box  and  the  court  house.  At 
school  the  boy  learns  to  read  and  write.  This  puts  the  key  of 
knowledge  into  his  hands.  With  it  he  unlocks  the  treasures 
of  philosophy  and  sciences  and  history.  His  intellectual 
faculties  are  expanded  and  his  mind  enlarged.    At  church  he 


88  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 


becomes  acquainted  with  the  worship  of  his  God,  and  his 
heart  is  improved  and  filled  with  the  holy  precepts  of  re- 
lijj-ion.  In  the  exercise  of  the  elective  franchise  he  practises 
the  duties  of  a  republican  citizen.  He  is  made  to  think  of 
politics  and  political  questions,  and  inform  himself  in  re- 
ference to  them.  They  who  would  depi-ive  the  people  of  the 
right  of  electing"  their  legislators  and  chief  magistrates  are 
unwilling  to  acknowledge  the  right  of  the  people,  or  the 
ability  of  the  people  to  govern  themselves.  Our  members  of 
the  Legislature  now  think  it  is  better  for  them  to  exercise 
the  right  of  voting  for  Presidential  electors,  and  that  the  ex- 
ercise of  this  popular  and  constitutional  right  on  the  pai-t  of 
the  people  would  be  mischievous!  They  don't  think  it  will 
do  for  the  people  to  have  so  important  an  election  as  this  in 
their  hands.  They  are  willing  to  dole  out  to  them  the  minor 
elections,  such  as  clerks,  sheriffs  and  tax  collectors.  This  is 
about  the  grade  of  their  capacity !  Rut  it  would  never  do  for 
them  to  vote  for  President  and  Vice-President. 

The  other  source  of  popular  education  is  the  court  house, 
where  the  citizen  meets  and  hears  the  laws  of  his  country  ex- 
pounded  and  enforced,  where  he  sits  on  juries  and  hears  cases 
argued  and  illustrated.  As  a  juror,  he  is  a  part  of  the  gov- 
ernment. This  fits  him  for  the  exercise  of  popular  rights. 
The  trial  by  jury  and  the  administration  of  justice  according 
to  the  common  law,  is  agreat  prop  in  republican  government. 

Education  is  of  so  much  importance  in  a  republican  gov- 
ernment that  it  is  the  absolute  duty  of  the  commonwealth  to 
educate  her  sons.  It  is  a  duty  that  never  should  be  neglected 
by  the  State.  No  matter  what  the  cost  may  be,  it  should  be 
performed  faithfully  and  sacredly.  This  New  England  has 
done  by  means  of  her  free  schools.  Rarely,  indeed,  can  a 
citizen  of  those  States  be  found  who  is  not  able  to  read  and 
write.  The  whole  country  is  divided  into  townships,  and 
each  township,  has  a  free  school  in  its  centre. 

The  State  of  South  Carolina  has  done  much  towards  the 
education  of  her  citizens,  but  I  am  afraid  it  has  not  been  pro- 
ductive of  as  much  good  as  it  ought  to  have  aiven  to  the 
country.  For  more  than  fifty  years  past  an  appropriation 
of  twenty  or  thirty  thousand  dollars  has  been  annually  made 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  89 


for  the  support  of  the  South  Carolina  Collea^e.  Thirty  or 
forty  thousand  dollars  have  likewise  been  appropriated  every 
year  for  the  education  of  the  poor.  This  fund  ought  to  have 
been  distributed  according  to  white  population,  and  not  in 
proportion  to  taxation  and  white  population.  In  many  of 
the  Districts  it  is  thought  that  the  appropriation  is  not  pro- 
ductive of  as  much  good  as  it  might  be,  in  consequence  of 
mismanagement. 

It  has  been  said  by  those  opposed  to  popular  education, 
that  the  State  has  no  right  to  interfere  with  the  education  of 
the  people!  This  would  defeat  the  appropriation  for  thesup- 
])ort  of  the  college.  Surely,  if  the  State  can  appropriate 
money  and  interfere  for  the  education  of  the  sons  of  the 
rich,  she  may  do  as  much  for  the  sons  of  the  poor. 

The  South  Carolina  College  is  a  noble  institution.  It 
affords  the  means  of  educating  our  sons  at  home,  instead  of 
sending  them  abroad,  which  would  be  a  constant  drain  upon 
the  State.  It  is  proper,  too,  that  .>oung  men  should  be 
educated  where  they  expect  to  live. 

The  whole  State  ought  to  be  divided  into  townships,  as  the 
New  England  States  are,  and  in  the  centre  of  each  township 
there  should  be  a  school  free  for  all  children,  rich  or  poor. 
This  school  should  be  supported  by  the  State,  and  then  we 
should  have  free  schools,  and  all  would  be  educated.  In 
towns  and  villages  education  is  more  easy,  inasmuch  jas  the 
children  are  more  thrown  together. 

The  wealthy  have  a  deep  interest  in  the  education  of  the 
poor,  if  education  tends  to  make  the  citizen  wiser  and  more 
virtuous.  It  is  something,  and  a  very  high  consideration, 
for  the  possessor  of  wealth  to  know  that  his  property  is  in 
the  midst  of  a  peaceable  and  virtuous  community. 

In  conclusion,  fellow-citizens,  I  will  notice 'an  opinion  which 
prevails  with  some  in  South  Carolina,  as  degrading  and  in- 
sulting to  labor  and  the  laboring  classes  as  it  is  false  to 
liberty  and  republicanism.  This  opinion  has  found  favor  in 
high  places,  and  has  been  inculcated  and  enforced  with  talent 
and  learning  by  some  of  the  aristocratic  few  who  are  able  to 
live  without  labor.  It  is  said  that  education,  and  thorough 
education,  is  necessary  to  republicanism,  but  that  they  who 


90  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry, 


labor  have  no  time  foi-  edncatioii  and  reading,  and  therefore 
cannot  be  educated,  and  consequently  ought  not  to  exercise 
the  rights,  and  privileges,  and  duties  of  a  republican  citizen. 
Reference  ha^  been  made  to  the  Athenian  Republic,  where, 
according  to  Lord  Brougham,  in  his  Political  Philosophy, 
there  were  three  hundred  thousand  slaves,  and  only  thirty 
thousand  freemen.  Hence,  it  is  contended  that  slavery  is  neces- 
,sary  to  republicanism,  in  order  to  afford  the  laboring  classes 
who  ought  to  be  excluded  from  republicanism,  and  who  are 
unfit  to  exercise  the  rights  which  belong  to  a  republican 
citizen. 

Such  doctrines,  in  my  humble  judgment,  are  insulting  to 
public  opinion,  founded  in  an  utter  ignorance  of  the  whole 
subject  of  labor  and  education,  and  tending  to  t^'ranny 
over  the  laboring  classes,  disfranchising  them  and  making 
them  serfs  and  slaves!  I  deny  that  labor  is  inconsistent 
with  education.  I  have  already  shown  that  they  who  have 
labored  at  the  plough,  in  the  blacksmith  shop,  as  shoemakers, 
saddlers  and  bricklayers,  printers  and  surveyors  of  lands, 
have  been  amongst  the  most  distinguished  poets,  statesmen, 
philosophers,  orators,  patriots  and  warriors  that  the  world 
ever  produced,  from  its  creation  to  the  present  day.  I  am 
now  prepared  to  show  that  every  laborer,  whether  in  the 
field  or  in  the  uiechanic's  shop,  has  abundant  time  to  read 
and  improve  his  mind ;  and  if  he  has  beentaughtto  read  and 
write  in  his  infancy,  he  is  very  apt  to  do  so  in  a  greater  or 
less  degree.  No  one  does  labor  or  should  labor  more  than 
ten  or  twelve  hours  in  twenty-four;  very  few  labor  so  much. 
It  is  not  necessary  that  anyone  should,  for  his  support.  No 
one  need  sleep  more  than  seven  hours.  This  leaves  five,  or 
six,  or  seven  hours  for  recreation  and  reading  to  every  labor- 
ing man  in  the  community.  There  is  also  one  day  in  seven 
when  no  man  works,  in  a  civilized  and  Christian  community. 
A  portion  of  that  day,  after  our  religious  duties  in  church 
and  elsewhere  are  performed,  may  be  devoted  to  the  improve- 
ment of  the  mind  by  reading  good  books.  Independent  of 
all  this,  there  is  weather,  and  times,  and  occasions  when  the 
laborer  in  dooi-s  and  out  of  doors  is  prevented  i)insuing  his 
daily  vocation.    All  of  this  time,  or  a  portion  of  it,  at  least, 


Benjmnin  Franklin  Perry.  91 

may  be  devoted  to  reading-  and  education,  and  the  improve- 
ment of  the  mind.  The  plouf>hman  may  read  while  his  horse 
is  eatino*,  and  the  mechanic  whilst  he  is  resting  from  his  labor, 
or  waiting  for  it  to  commence. 

Although  they  had  slaves  in  Athens,  and  although  they 
have  slaves  in  the  Southern  States,  yet  there  were  fi-ee  men 
in  Athens,  and  there  are  free  men  in  tue  Southern  States,  who 
have  to  labor  for  their  daily  bread,  and  who  have  shown 
themselves  as  fit  to  exercise  the  rights  of  republicanism,  as 
the  idle  drones  of  society,  who  are  consumers  without  being- 
producers.  From  my  knowledge  of  mankind,!  would  unhes- 
itatingly rely  sooner  on  the  judgment  of  an  educated  me- 
chanic or  laborer  in  the  affairs  of  State,  than  on  one  of  these 
educated  non-laborers.  If  I  wei-e  called  upon  to  deny  the 
rights  of  republicanism  to  the  one  or  the  other,  it  should  be 
to  the  idle,  and  not  to  the  industrious. 

In  the  Northern  States  and  in  the  Northwestern  States,  and 
in  a  majority  of  the  States  of  this  Union  where  slavery  does 
not  exist,  they  have  as  much  republicanisn^  as  we  have  in 
South  Carolina,  and  have  shown  themst^lves  as  fit  toexercise 
all  the  rights  of  republican  citizens  as  South  Carolinians. 
Their  State  constitutions,  their  laws,  regulations  and  insti- 
tutions prove  their  republicanism.  Their  wealth,  their  pros- 
])erity,  their  popular  education,  their  free  school  system,  their 
literature  and  general  intelligence,  their  success  in  all  the  arts 
and  sciences,  and  mechanic  branches  of  industry,  illustrate 
the  virtue  and  wisdom  of  their  republican  system  of  govern- 
ment, and  show  that  labor  is  not  antagonistic  to  eduf;ation 
and  republicanism. 

In  parting  with  you,  fellow-citizens,  let  me  urge  on  the  me- 
chanics and  business  men  of  Columbia  the  propriety  of  estab- 
lishing literary  societies  amongst  you,  where  all  who  desire 
may  have  books  to  read.  Although  books  are  very  cheap, 
yet  few  of  us  are  able  to  purchase  all  that  we  may  desire  to 
read.  Never  forget  that  you  are  freemen,  that  you  are  re- 
publican citizens,  as  well  as  Christian  men,  and  thatyouhave 
a  duty  to  perform  to  the  republic,  as  well  as  to  your  God, 
and  to  vour  families.  Farewell. 


»*^«l^^ 


GOVERNOR  B.  F,  PERRY,  OF  SOUTH  CAROLINA. 


(This  cominunication  from  Rev.  Dr.  H.  Melville  Jackson,  of  Grace  (llhiirch,  Kich- 

mond,  Va..  was  received  too  late  to  occupy  itK  proper  place 

in  this  Tribute  to  his  friend.) 

(Southern  Churchman,  Richmond.  Va..  Dec.  20,  1888.) 

This  remarkable  man  and  eminent  statesman,  who  but  a 
short  time  a.go  brought  to  its  close  a  long  and  useful  life,  is, 
perhaps,  owing  to  the  privacy  and  seclusion  in  which  he 
spent  the  closing  years  of  his  life,  but  little  known  to  the 
younger  men  of  the  present  generation. 

And  yet  there  are  few  men  of  our  times  whose  lives  are  so 
well  worth  the  knowing.  The  sterling  integrity  and  strength 
of  character,  the  firm  adherence  to  principles,  the  undaunted 
courage  of  conviction,  the  manliness  and  self-restraint  which 
he  constantly  displayed  through  stormy  and  turbulent  times, 
constitute  him  a  worthy  exemplar  of  youth. 

The  recent  publication  of  his  Speeches,  Addresses  and 
Sketches  of  Eminent  Men  (*)  is  the  occasion  of  this  paper. 
That  publication  is  itself  a  graceful  tribute  to  his  memory 
by  his  wife,  the  noble  helpmeet  of  a  noble  man,  who  has  cho- 
sen the  best  products  of  his  thought  and  pen,  and  given  them 
to  the^ world  with  the  proud  conviction  that  they  establish 
his  title  to  remembrance  and  fame. 

The  speeches  which  this  .volume  contains  are  of  great  value 
to  the  historian  and  the  student  of  the  period  in  which  they 
were  delivered.  Governor  Perry  occupied  a  unique  position 
as  the  leader  of  the  Union  party  in  South  Carolina,  the  po- 
litical opponent  of  Calhoun,  and  the  unwavering  antagonist 
of  the  nullification  and  secession  doctrines  which  resulted  in 
civil  war.    As  early  as  1831,  then  a  young  man  but  twenty- 

•  (*)  Biographical  Sketches  of  Eminent  American  Statesmen,  with  Speeches,  Ad- 
dresses and  Letters,  by  ex-Governor  B.  F.  Perry,  of  Greenville,  S.  €.  For  sale  in 
Richmond  by  West,  Johnston  &  Co. 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  9S 


8ix  years  of  aj2:e,  he  foresaw  the  end,  gave  evidence  of  his  trulv 
wonderful  political  foresio;ht,  and  be^an  his  predictions  of 
coming  events,  which  fell  unheeded  by  the  excited,  exaspera- 
ted and  ebullient  men  of  his  time.  In  his  P'oui'th  of  July 
oration  delivered  in  that  year,  remarkable  for  its  maturity 
of  thought  in  one  so  young,  he  pointed  out  the  evils  which 
would  follow  upon  a  dismemberment  of  the  Union,  and  de- 
clared that  he  was  unwilling  "on  any  account  toputin  jeop- 
ardy this  Union,  this  government,  our  independence  and  our 
name  as  a  people."  This  declaration  is  the  keynote  of  his 
career,  and  consistently  through  his  whole  life  he  fought  the 
spirit  of  disunion  with  a  stubborn  gallantry,  with  apolitical 
sagacity,  and  with  a  noble  forgetful ness  of  self  which  distin- 
guish him  among  eminent  compeers  as  a  great  and  good 
man.  One  cannot  avoid  speculating  how  differently  history 
might  have  been  written  if  his  generation  had  but  listened  to 
the  powerful  and  pathetic  pleading  of  which  these  speeches 
are  full,  and  had  been  guided  by  the  wisdom  which  time  has 
so  amply  justified. 

We  are  accustomed  to  look  in  the  annals  of  war  for  our  ex- 
emplars of  heroic  conduct,  and  we  are  justified  in  this,  if  phy- 
sical courage  is  to  be  rated  higher  than  moral.  But  who 
does  not  know  that  moral  courage  is  the  quality  which  lifts 
heroism  out  of  the  animal  and  into  the  intellectual  life  and 
endows  it  with  all  the  splendid  attributes  of  the  soul? 

The  man  who  is  content  to  be  maligned,  misunderstood, 
hissed,  scorned,  jeered,  scoffed  for  truth's  sake,  for  the  sake 
of  his  principles,  is,  after  a.ll.  a  nobler  man  and  a  grander 
hero  than  the  defenders  of  ^he  pass  of  Thermopylae.  A  Lu- 
ther calmly  facing  an  angry  council  with  the  memorable  ut- 
terance: "One  with  God  is  a  majority"  is  a  nobler  figure 
than  the  trained  gladiator  of  the  circus  whose  courage  is 
shared,  and  perhaps  surpassed,  by  the  brutes.  It  is  always 
so  easy  to  hedge  and  trim.  It  is  always  so  easy  to  say  tlie 
many  are  probably  right.  But  the  spectacle  is  superbly  in- 
spiring when  a  man  who  has  reached  a  settled  conviction  of 
the  right  stands  for  it  against  his  enemies,  and,  harder  still. 
against  his  friends ;  stands  for  it  through  the  weary  years, 
contesting  the  tide  of  popular  opinion,  and  volnntaril\  sac- 


94  Benjaniin  Friinklin  Ferry. 

rifioino-  his  popularity,  hope  of  preferment — political  or  other 
and  the  cherished  ambitions  of  a  lifetime  upon  its  altar. 
Such  a  spectacle  does  the  life  of  Governor  Perry  afford  us. 
it  is  not  for  us  to  question  whether  he  was  ri<>ht  and  th(^ 
many  were  wrong.  It  suffices  to  recognize  in  his  career  fi 
man  who  stood  for  his  convictions  with  a  stalwart  consis- 
tency and  rigid  firmness,  which  neither  seductive  persuasion, 
the  alienation  of  friends,  the  hisses  of  the  rabble,  the  sense  of 
isolation,  nor  the  tremendous  influence  of  popular  furore  and 
clamor  could  shake  for  an  instant.  I  call  this  a  valuable 
moral  lesson,  valuable  to  the  3'oung  men  of  these  times,  and 
the  life  which  contained  and  embodied  it  is  worthy  of  all 
honor  and  remembrance. 

Of  his  speech  delivered  before  the  South  Carolina  House  of 
Representatives  in  1850,  in  opposition  to  disunion,  he  said  : 
'•  I  leave  it  as  a  legacy  to  my  country  and  to  my  children  ;" 
and  when  it  is  remembered  that  he  stood  all  but  alone  in  that 
body  advocating  measures  the  most  unpopular,  and  with  his 
one  arm  endeavoring  to  stay  the  rush  of  a  whole  people,  it 
snust  be  confessed  that  no  nobler  heritas:e  can  man  transmit. 
His  sons  can  receive  it  at  his  hands  as  the  attestation  of 
the  courage,  fidelity  and  integrity  of  their  sire. 

It  is  not  my  purpose,  nor  have  we  the  space,  to  analyze 
the  speeches  which  this  volume  contains,  or  even  to  quote 
from  them.  They  are  the  utterances  of  a  man  versed  in 
])olitical  affairs,  of  which  he  was  a  profound  student.  Those 
which  are  literary  in  character  show  a  wide  acquaintance 
with  the  world  of  letters.  They  abound  with  elegant  and  in- 
structive thoughts,  expressed  in  choice  language,  often 
eloquent,  but  severe  in  its  classic  simplicity.  While  there  are 
])assages  in  these  speeches  which  in  rhetorical  grace  and  dic- 
tion, purity  of  style  and  cogency  of  thought  may  he  truly 
styled  eloquent;  yet  it  is  quite  evident  that  his  eloquence 
consisted  rather  in  the  tretnendous  moral  earnestness  of  the 
man  than  in  the  arts  of  the  rhetorician  and  the  declaimer. 

But  we  have  left  to  ourselves  too  little  space  in  which  to 
speak  of  what,  to  the  general  reader,  is  the  most  interesting 
]K)rtion  of  this  book.  'The  Sketches  of  Eminent  Men,'' 
wdiich  compose  a  principal  part  of  the  volume,  have,  indeed. 


Benjiunui  Fninklin  Perry.  95 


great  literary  merit.  Almost  every  man  prominent  in  Ameri- 
can life  is  delineated  in  these  pao;;es  with  an  accuracy  of  touch, 
a  V)oldness  of  outline  and  a  faithfulness  of  portraiture  which 
leaves  scarcely  an.y thing  to  be  desired.  The  Sketches  are 
enriched  with  a  copious  fund  of  anecdote,  which  lends  its 
peculiar  charm  to  the  narration  of  facts,  and  leads  the  read- 
er on,  only  to  leave  him  at  the  end  with  the  regret  that  there 
is  no  more.  Otis  and  Pinckney  and  Crawford,  Washington, 
Adams  and  Jefferson,  Henry,  Webster,  Randolph  and  Choate, 
and  many  others  distinguished  in  politics,  in  science,  at  the 
bar  and  on  the  bench  are  introduced  to  us  in  detail  and  made 
to  us  familiar  personages  in  the  history  of  our  country.  We 
cannot  avoid  expressing  the  opinion  that  it  were  better  to 
have  published  these  Sketches  in  a  separate  volume  as  a  con- 
venient handbook  of  American  biography,  in  which  form  they 
would,  no  doubt,  have  attained  a  wider  popularity. 

And  now  this  brief  review  must  be  brought  to  a  close.  It 
is  at  the  dictate  of  a  warm,  personal  affection  and  regard  for 
him  whose  literary  remains  are  enshrined  in  this  volume  that 
I  have  ventured  to  write.  If  anything  I  have  written  shall 
seem  strained  or  exaggerated,  let  it  be  set  down  to  the  hi^h 
admiration  I  entertain  for  one  of  whom  I  have  said  elsewhere 
that  he  comes  nearer  to  my  ideal  of  a  public  man— a  man  of 
affairs— than  any  othei*  I  have  known. 

H.  Melville  Jackson 


mm 


96  Benjamin  Franklin  Perrj. 


Office  of  Wkst,  Johnston  &  Co., 

Richmond,  Va.,  Jan.  8,  1889. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Pkrrv,  Grconville,  S.  C. 

De.\r  M.\dam  :  Thinking  it  may  be  some  satisfaction  to  you,  and  perhaps  useful 
in  disposing-  of  your  book,  we  enclose  a  letter  ret*eived  by  us  to-day,  from  a  gentle- 
man to  whom  we  had  sold  a  copy  of  your  book. 

Very  respectfully,  etc., 

West,  Johnston  &  Co. 


Kabletovvn,  Jefferson  Co.,  W.  Va.,  Jan.  4,  1889. 
West,  Johnston  &  Co.,  Richmond,  Va., 

G?:ntlemen  :  I  was  the  recipient,  by  the  mail  of  last  even- 
in^-,  of  your  letter  of  the  1st  inst.,  accompanied  by  the  vol- 
ume containing  the  sketches  of  ex-Governor  B.  F.  Perry,  of 
South  Carolina.  It  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  comment  upon 
the  extraordinary  ability,  patriotism,  courage  and  devotion 
to  his  convictions,  which  resulted  from  his  deliberate  and 
dispassionate  consideration  of  the  momentous  issues  with 
which  he  was  confronted ;  and  stood  almost  solitary  and 
alone  during  the  most  stormy,  critical  and  trying  period  of 
our  national  existence. 

1  cheerfully  send  a  registered  letter  for  two  dollars,  as  it  is 
difficult  to  send  sixty-nine  cents  in  change.  In  acknowledg- 
ing the  payment,  you  may  send  the  change  due  me  in  stamps. 

The  volume  is  remarkably  cheap,  and  I  hope  to  be  the 
means  of  enabling  you  to  sell  other  copies  as  soon  as  I  have 
an  opportunity  af  exhibiting  it  to  my  neighbors. 

In  conclusion,  I  have  no  prefix  or  title  to  my  name.  Am  a 
farmer  of  humble  pretensions.  Without  appearing  vain  (I 
hope),  I  will  add  it  has  been  my  lot  to  fill  quite  a  number  of 
responsible  positions  within  the  States  of  Virginia  and  West 
Virginia.  Was  a  Union  member  of  the  Virginia  convention 
in  1871 ;  recollect  distinctly  the  trials  Governor  Perry  under- 
went in  opposing  nullification  and  secession. 
Very  truly  yours,  etc., 

Logan  Osburn. 


EXTRACTS 


Letters  of  Covernor  Perrf  to  His  Wife,  Tiiirt|-Nine  years  Up. 


(The  speech  alluded  to  in  thi8  extra(;t  i«  the  great  one  delivered  hy  Governor  Pen 
in  the  South  Carolina  Legislature,  in  1850, and  left  by  him  as  a  "legacy  to  hin 
country  and  his  children,"  and  published  in  " Biographical  Sketches, 
of  Eminent  American  Statesmen,  Speeches,  Addresses,"  etc.) 


Columbia.  S.  C,  Dec.  12,  1850. 

******  Yesterday  I  got  the  floor  after 
Colonel  Leitiier  had  spoken.  As  soon  as  it  was  known  that 
/had  the  floor,  I  saw  persons  begin  to  seattheniiselves;  there 
was  some  anxiety  or  curiosity  to  hear  me.  It  was  known 
that  I  differed  from  the  other  members  in  regard  to  my  views 
about  the  Union.  Entire  and  profound  silence  prevailed  over 
the  House.  1  had  spoken  but  a  very  short  time  before  1  saw 
the  faces  of  the  members  turn  pale.  They  seemed  amazed  at 
my  boldness,  yet  felt  deeply  the  force  of  my  argument. 

Professor  Williams,  of  the  South  Carolina  College,  (^ame  to 
me  this  morning  and  said  that  he  gave  me  his  heart  as  cor- 
dially as  he  did  his  hand— that  he  was  in  ecstacy  with  my 
speech,  although  he  did  not  hear  it — his  son  did.  I  saw  Colo- 
nel O'Hanlon  sitting  with  a  face  beaming  with  joy,  but  1 
have  not  seen  him  since.  Mr.  Middleton  said  to  me  this 
morning  that  I  had  amazed  the  House  with  my  ultraisnj 
and  boldness.  I  thought  so  too.  The  newnpapers  have  all 
spoken  respectfully  of  my  speech,  but  regret  that  any  one 
should  hold  my  sentiments.  Colonel  McGowan  replied  tome 
yesterday.  Colonel  Dargan  (brother  of  the  Chancellor)  re- 
plied this  morning,  and  Colonel  Lyles,  of  Fairfield.  They 
were  all  very  respectful. 


98  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry 


House  of  Represent ativeh, 

Columbia,  S.  C,  Dw.  7,  1852. 
******  Monday  I  went  to  the  com- 
menceinent  in  the  Colleg^e,  and  was  pleaseci  with  the  perform- 
ance. P.  Fj.  Griffin,  of  Society  Hill,  delivered  a  very  fine 
poem,  representing'  a  conversation  between  Sir  William  Wal- 
lace and  Bruce.  In  speaking*  of  Bruce,  he  addressed  me  so 
pertionaUy  as  to  attract  the  whole  College.  Governor  Means 
said  to  me  that  Griffin  had  made  me  the  Sir  William  Wallace 
of  his  poem.  The  first  part  of  his  address  spoken  by  Bruce 
to  Wallace,  was  very  much  like  some  of  the  abuse  heaped  on 
me  by  the  Secessionists;  ambition,  traitor,  &c.,  <Scc.  But  at 
the  close  of  the  poem,  finding  out  the  re^f/ sentiments  t)f  Wal- 
lace, Bruce  says  to  him:  ''Now,  I  acknowledge  you  as  a 
patriot,  pure  and  devoted  to  your  country.^' 


Office  of  South  Carolina  Lunatic  Asylum, 

Columbia.  S.  C,  Dec.  29,  1887. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry, 

Dear  Madam:  During  the  session  of  the  Legislature  its 
Committees  keep  me  unusually  busy,  so  that  when  your  first 
letter  came  I  ventured  to  postpone  a  reply  until  I  could  find 
time  to  make  a  satisfactory  statement.  The  subject  of  your 
letters  is  of  so  much  interest  that  I  must  even  now  have 
your  indulgence  a  few  days  longer.  The  poem  alluded  to  was 
my  graduating  speech.  Believing  that  the  attention  it  at- 
tracted was  due  more  to  its  novelty  as  a  commencement  ex- 
ercise than  to  its  merit,  1  refused  consent  to  its  publication. 
I  had  therefore  only  the  original  manuscript,  which  was  car- 
ried off  by  Sherman's  burners  when  they  pillaged  my  office 
at  Society  Hill.  I  have  sometimes  thought  that  I  might  be 
able  to  reproduce  it,  but  my  life  has  been  so  busy  that  I  have 
not  found  time  to  attempt  it.  When  I  received  yonr  very 
complimentary  letter  I  thought  I  would  wait  a  short  time  to 
see  if  I  could  not  recall  my  old  College  composition  and  send 
it  to  you.  I  can  only  promise  that  in  a  few  days  I  shall  send 
you  at  least  a  statement  of  my  recollection  of  the  incident, 
very  distinct  in   mv    memory,  of  having  selected  Governor 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  99 


Perry,   then  a  Sewitor  from    Greenville,  to  jyersonate  Sir 
William  Wallace,  the  hero  of  the  dialogue  with  Bruce. 

TruHtiiig  that  you  will  allow  me  a  little  more  time  to  re- 
fresh m,v  memory,  and  thankiniz;  you  for  your  kind  allusion 
to  Mrs.  Griffin  and  to  myself,  and  bejj-ging  you  to  believe  me 
one  of  your  distinguished  husband's  most  enthusiastic  ad- 
mirers, 

I  remain  v«^ry  sincerely  yours, 

P.  E.  Griffin. 


Preface  to  Private  JouRNAt#»* 

^ 


(In  compiling^  this  Tribute  to  my  husband,  I  had  no  idea  of  putting  in  it  anythingr  J.  A 

w>  personal  to  myself  as  this  tribute  of  the  husband  to  the  wife,  contained  in  '^^^ 

the  Preface  writted  in  her  Journal.      But  as  I  am  endeavoring  to  set 

forth  his  nobility  of  character  and  his  exalted  virtues,  I  deem  it  not 

inconsistent  to  let  this  outpouring  of  his  noble  heart  have  a. 

place  in  this  tribute,  as  it  proves  more  than  anything  else 

can  his  pure  and  noble  nature.— Mbs.  B'  F.  P.) 

This  little  book  is  respectfully  presented  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Prances  Perry,  by  her  loving  husband,  with  the  earnest  re- 
quest that  she  will  appropriate  it  as  her  journal.  In  after 
life  it  will  be  a  source  of  great  satisfaction  to  refer  to  the 
remarks  and  comments  which  will  here  be  made  on  the  pass- 
ing  events  of  the  day. 

For  several  years  past  I  have  kept  a  journal  of  my  life,  in 
which  I  have  recorded  all  the  incidents  which  have  happened 
to  me  during  that  time.  I  have  told  where  I  was  and  what 
I  was  doing;  whom  I  saw  and  what  they  said.  But  even 
nore  than  this,  I  have  written  the  inmost  secrets  of  my 
heart,  the  feelings  and  impulses  of  my  nature.  This  afforded 
'ne  great  pleasure  at  the  time,  and  has  often  given  me  much 
ticreater  pleasure  since,  in  reading  and  looking  over  it. 

Let  me,  then,  advise  you,  my  dear  wife,  to  begin  your  jour- 
nal to-day.    Make  it  a  sort  of  diary.    Set  down  in  the  even- 
ing what  you  have  been  doing  that  day,  whom  you  have 
spen,  what  you    have  read,  the  work  you   have  been  at, 
vhether  the  day  has  been  pleasantly  and  profitably  spent. 
'Vhen  you  travel  or  leave  homcj  let  this  book  be  your  com- 
panion, and  write  down  in  it  all  you  see,  etc.    In  doing  this 
do  assure  you  that  you  will  make  a  book  of  interest  to 
oupself  in  after  life.     It  will   be  a  record   of  your  feelings, 
pinions  and  views  every  day.     In  looking  over  this  book- 
jars  htence;  it  will  give  you  great  pleasure  to  compare  your 
'  .'^lini^-s  and  views  at  different  pi^riols  of  your  life.    You  will 


XQ2  Benjamin  Franklin  Perry. 


be  amused  at  the  honest  changes  jou  have  undergone  in 
your  opinion  of  various  persons  and  different  subjects. 

How  interesting',  how  deeply  interesting,  it  must  be  to  me 
to  turn  to  my  journal  and  read  over  the  remarks  I  made  on 
first  seeing  you !  How  little  did  I  then  think  that  you  were 
so  soon  to  be  my  wife!  I  had,  it  is  true,  from  our  first  ac- 
quaintance, secret  aspirations  and  hopes,  but  there  were 
fears  and  apprehensions,  and  T  had  almost  given  over  the 
idea  of  changing  a  state  in  which  I  had  enjoyed  so  much  ease, 
tranquility  and  pleasure,  free  of  almost  all  the  cares  and 
troubles  of  life.  But  that  moonlight  walk  proved  too  much 
for  my  philosophy.  Never  was  love  more  sudden  than  mine, 
and  never  was  man  better  pleased  with  the  object  of  his  love, 
on  becoming  intimately  acquainted  with  her. 

You  were  then  only  seventeen  years  old  ;  your  person  was 
slender,  and  might  almost  be  taken  as  a  model  of  symmetry,; 
your  weight  was  one  hundred  and  one  pounds,  and  you  were 
of  the  ordinary  height.  Your  features  are  of  the  Grecian 
cast — small,  delicate  and  exquisitely  formed;  auburn  hair, 
soft,  blue  eyes,  high,, smooth  forehead,  beautiful  mouth,  chin 
and  nose.  In  your  face  there  was  a  sweetness  of  expression 
and  a  mild,  benevolent,  Christian  look  which  methought  1 
had  never  before  seen.  Your  complexion  was  fair  and  beau- 
tiful, and  the  bloom  of  health  ev^er  to  be  seen  on  your  cheeks. 

In  disposition,  I  found  you  mild  and  amiable,  and  I  have 
seen  nothing  since  our  marriage  to  alter  the  very  exalted 
opinion  I  fii'st  formed  of  your  good  nature.  Your  manners 
were  pleasant  and  engaging,  though  rather  retiring  and  diffi- 
dent, which  endeared  you  the  more  to  my  heart.  I  found  in 
your  nature  that  modesty  which  is  the  highest  trait  in  female 
character,  and  without  which  the  most  accomplished  and 
brilliant  of  your  sex  are  despicable  in  my  eyes.  In  conversa- 
tion, though  unassuming  and  unpretending,  you  were  lively 
and  interesting.  Your  mind  had  been  well  cultivated  for  one 
of  your  age.  You  had  acquired  a  taste  foi-  reading,  which  I 
hope  will  be  cultivated  with  care  and  assiduity.  In  your 
dress,  I  found  you  were  very  tasteful,  though  nevei*  gaudy  or 
splendid.  I  never  saw  anyone  so  simple,  and  yet  so  tasteful 
and  particular.    You  wore  then,  as  you  do  now,  your  hair  in 


Benjamin  Franklin  Perry.  108 


curls,  which  gave  you  a  peculiar,  girlish  and  striking  appear- 
ance. Your  voice  was  the  sweetest  and  softest  I  ever  heard. 
You  performed  most  charmingly  on  the  guitar,  and  almost 
created  within  my  bosom  a  fondness  for  music.  It  was  thus, 
my  dear  wife,  that  you  appeared  to  me  when  1  first  began  to 
love  you,  and,  although  we  have  now  been  married  nearly 
three  months,  you  are  still  the  same  soft,  lovely  and  beauti- 
ful being  I  have  just  described.  If  you  have  faults,  they  are 
not  perceptible  to  me,  and  can  only  be  the  faults  of  youth 
and  inexperience.  Nor  is  it  to  be  wondered  at  that  you,  pos- 
sessing all  the  charms  I  have  just  given  you,  should  have 
made  so  easy  a  conquest  of  my  heart. 

I  had  been  from  childhood  of  a  sober, serious  turn  of  mind. 
Devoted  to  books  and  study,  I  was  never  fond  of  company 
or  society.  I  early  imbibed  a  prejudice  against  the  insinceri- 
ty of  the  one  and  the  heartlessness  of  the  other.  In  my  man- 
ners, I  was  plain  and  unpretending,  and  that  proud  nature 
God  has  endowed  me  with  ever  scorned  to  humble  itself  or 
act  falsely.    Hence,  I  was  no  courtier  or  Chesterfield. 

But  I  forbear  to  give  you  a  sketch  of  my  own  character  in 
your  journal.  This  I  will  leave  for  you  to  draw.  I  have 
done  so  in  my  own  journal,  and  with  an  impartiality  and 
correctness  which  might  surprise  you.  My  faults,  which  are 
many,  are  told  with  the  honest  frankness  of  one  who  feels 
and  knows  them,  and  who  would  gladly  remedy  them,  but  w^ho 
cannot  conceal  them. 

In  conclusion,  let  me  say  that  if  you  will  only  write  one 
sentence  every  week  in  this  book,  for  twenty  years,  it  will,  at 
the  end  of  that  time,  afford  you  more  interest  to  look  over 
its  pajies  than  any  other  book  in  the  world. 

July  12,  1837.  '  B.  F.  Perry. 


WILLIAM  HAYNE  PERRY 


(It  is  not  deemed  inconsistent  in  this  Ti'ibute  to  the  Father  to  publish  a  Sketch  of 

the  Son,   written  by  a  discriminating  and  appreciative  friend  at  the  time 

William  H.  Perry  was  first  elected  to  (.Congress  in  1884;  also  a  few  of 

the  letters  received  congratulatory  on  his  re-election  to  Congress 

for  the  third    term,   and    published    unknown    to   him.) 


William  Hayiie  Perry,  Cong-ressman-elect  from  the  Fourtb. 
District  of  South  Carolina,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Greenville. 

He  is  the  son  and  eldest  child  of  ex-Governor  Benjamin  F. 
Perry  and  of  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Frances  Perry,  a  niece  of  Robert 
Y.  Hayne,  distin;L>nished  as  the  compeer  of  VVebster  in  the 
United  States  Senate,  and  afterwards  the  honored  Governor 
of  South  Carolina. 

He  attended  the  various  and  most  approved  elementary 
schools  of  his  native  city,  and  at  a  comparatively  early  age 
entered  the  Furman  University,  then  i-ecently  established  at 
that  place,  and  remained  for  several  years  successfully  pursu- 
ing his  studies  until  he  was  graduated.  After  this  he  was 
sent  to  the  South  Carolina  College  at  Columbia,  an  institu- 
tion of  great  renown  and  usefulness  and  scarcely  second  to 
any  in  the  land.  Here  he  remained  not  more  than  five  or  six 
months  in  the  junior  class,  the  exercises  of  the  College  being 
suspended  at  this  time  in  consequence  of  a  rebellion  among 
the  students.  His  father  then  sent  him  North,  where  he  en- 
tered the  junior  class  at  Harvard  University,  Cambridge. 
Here  he  remained  two  years,  graduating  with  distinguished 
honors  in  a  large  class  and  being  appointed  fifth  orator  on 
the  occasion  of  the  commencement  exercises  of  the  university. 

Upon  leaving  Harvard  he  and  his  friend,  Mr.  Memminger, 
of  South  Carolina,  made  an  extended  tour  through  Canada 
and  many  of  the  Northern  States. 

Upon  his  return  home  he  at  once  began  reading  law,  and 
after  two  vears  studv  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Columbia, 


106  William  Hayne  Penj. 


and  commenced  the  practise  of  his  profession  in  co-partner- 
.ship  with  his  father. 

In  a  very  short  time  thereafter  South  Carolina  seceded  from 
the  Union,  and  he  immediately  volunteered  his  services  as 
private  in  a  troop  of  cavalry  known  as  the  Brooks  Troop, 
afterwards  incorporated  into  the  Hampton  Legion  and  com- 
manded by  the  distinguished  General  of  that  name. 

In  this  troop  he  served  during  the  whole  war  under  the 
leadership  of  Stewart,  Hampton  and  Butler,  with  great 
gallantry  and  credit  to  himself  in  most  of  the  battles  fought 
hy  the  army  of  Northern  Virginia. 

Although  a  private,  such  was  his  popularity  with  his  com- 
lades  in  arms,  that  at  the  reorganization  of  the  troop  to 
which  he  belonged  he  was  elected  first  lieutenant  of  his  com- 
pany. Towards  the  close  of  the  war,  his  company  having 
been  in  the, meantime  attached  to  the  2d  S.  C.  regiment  of 
cavalry,  he  was  transferred  with  this  command  to  defend  the 
sea  coast  of  South  Carolina,  and  was  in  various  severe  en- 
gagements with  the  enemy. 

While  on  the  coast  he  acted  as  adjutant  of  his  regiment, 
and  served  in  this  capacity  to  the  end  of  the  war,  and  was 
with  his  command  on  duty  in  and  around  Wilmington,  N.  C, 
at  the  time  of  the  surrender  of  the  army  under  Johnston. 

On  several  occasions  his  conduct  was  such  as  to  elicit  the 
special  notice  and  commendation  of  his  superior  officers.  In 
all  the  qualities  of  the  soldier  he  had  no  superior.  None 
moi'e  brave,  none  more  modest. 

After  the  surrender  of  the  Confederate  armies  he  returned 
home,  and  resumed  the  practise  of  his  profession  in  connec- 
tion with  his  father,  and  was  immediately  elected  a  member 
of  the  State  convention  at  the  head  of  the  ticket,  and  shortly 
afterwards  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  and 
participated  with  the  Democratic  part}'  in  all  the  political 
questions  of  the  period  of  reconstruction. 

In  1868  he  was  elected  Solicitor  of  the  Western  Circuit  by  a 
majority  of  about  two  thousand  votes  over  his  opponent, 
and  discharged  the  duties  of  this  office  for  four  years  with 
great  ability,  firmness  and  fairness. 

At  the  next  election  in  1872,  the  State  government  having 


Willmm  Hayne  Perry.  107 


passed  into  the  hands  of  the  infamous  negro  and  scalawag 
regime,  Col.  Perry  lost  his  election  by  the  negro  vote  of  Ab- 
beville, which  County  had  been  added  to  his  Circuit  fortheex- 
press  purpose  of  defeating  him. 

He  then  devoted  himself  to  his  profession  with  renewed 
energy  and  zeal,  and  had  a  large  and  commanding  practise, 
his  father  having  in  the  meantime  in  a  great  measure  with- 
drawn from  the  practise  before  the  courts  in  consequence  of 
the  disgust  and  prejudice  which  he  entertained  for  the  radi- 
cal judges  who  presided  in  the  courts  with  ignorance,  impu- 
dence and  want  of  principle. 

In  1880  Colonel  Perry  was  elected  State  Senator  from  Green- 
ville County,  and  served  his  County  for  four  years  in  this 
capacity.  Declining  a  re-election  for  the  same,  his  County 
without  his  solicition  by  a  unanimous  vote  for  the  second 
time  presented  his  name  to  the  (congressional  convention  as 
a  candidate  for  Congress,  and,  receivingthe  nomination  from 
that  convention,  he  was  elected  November  the  4th,  1884,  to 
represent  the  4th  Congressional  District  of  South  Carolina. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  his  native  County  has  bestowed 
upon  him  nearly  every  office  in  her  gift :  member  of  the  State 
Convention,  Legislator,  Solicitor,  Senator  and  Congressman. 
He  has  also  received  favorable  and  flattering  mention  from 
various  papers  of  the  State,  in  connection  with  the  governor- 
ship thereof.  After  the  war  he  was  appointed  colonel  of  cavalrA^ 
by  Governor  Orr,  and  in  1881  Governor  Hagood  made  him 
one  of  his  aides. 

As  a  public  man  Colonel  Perry  has  proven  himself  a  wise 
and  careful  legislator,  noted  for  his  quiet,  but  active  and 
practical  usefulness.  His  public  life  inspires  a  just  confidence 
in  the  soundness  of  his  judgment  and  the  integrity  of  his  pur- 
pose. He  has  been  a  life-long eDmocrat,  and  has  many  of  the 
attributes  and  ''native  virtues"  of  his  more  distinguished 
father ;  incorruptible  i»tegrity,  conscientious  and  consistent 
to  his  convictions,  "sustaining  whatever  he  believes  to  be 
right  with  boldness  and  determination,  and  opposing  with 
his  whole  nature  what  he  conceives  to  be  wrong,"  with  that 
disregard  for  consequence,  without  which,  as  has  been  truly 


108  WiUhnn  Havne  Peirv. 


,Hai(l,  nothing  great,  either  in  thought  or  action,  can  be  ae- 
romplished. 

Reared  by  his  father  in  that  school  of  political  ethics  and 
statesinanship  to  which  he  belonged  and  was  a  leader  in  the 
pure  and  better  days  of  Carolina's  history,  he  has  none  of 
the  sordid  and  selfish  arts  of  the  demagogue  and  political 
trickster.  It  is  this  purity  of  character  joined  to  the  high 
qualities  of  a  well-balanced  mind  that  has  enabled  him  to 
enjoy  for  so  long  a  period  the  confidence  and  respect  of  his 
constituents. 

As  a  professional  man  and  practitioner  he  is  honorable,  fair 
and  conscientious;  never  resorting  to,  oi*  employing  any  of 
the  more  doubtful  pra'-tises  of  the  profession. 

As  an  advocate,  without  being  rhetorical,  he  has  great 
weight  and  influence  before  a  jury.  His  language  is  clear  and 
condensed  ;  his  manner  natural,  earnest  and  impressive,  and 
gives  force  to  all  he  says.  ''He  speaks  for  a  purpose,  and 
never  for  mere  display,  and  seldom  any  display  of  elaborate 
preparation.'- 

Without  being  a  scientific  lawyer,  he  is  perhaps  what  is  far 
better  for  himself  and  his  clients,  an  admirable  practical  one. 
In  character  Colonel  Perry  is  manly,  truthful  and  modest. 
He  enjoy«  a  personal  character  "  which  stamjjs  a  credit  upon 
all  he  says,"  and  is  admired  by  all  who  know  him  for  the 
inirity  and  dignity  of  his  private  life. 

He  is  reticent  and  unambitious,  indifferent  alike  to  honors 
and  distinctions:  and  left  to  himself  his  friends  believe  he 
would  prefer  the  retirement  and  more  quiet  life  of  a  private 
station. 

In  his  social  life  he  is  unobtrusive  and  retiring;  simple  in 
his  tastes,  habits  and  manners;  honest  in  his  dealings,  sincere 
and  truthful  in  his  intercourse,  a  staunch  and  faithful  friend. 
He  is  handsome  and  striking  in  person,  with  a  countenance 
expressive  of  frankness,  firmness  and  sincerity;  in  figure 
manly  and  stalwart,  with  no  touch  of  effemii»acy  about  it. 

By  judicious  management  he  has  acquired  and  has  well  in 
hand  an  ample  fortune,  and  is  a  bachelor,  but  young  enough 
to  change  his  views  and  form  new  attachments. 
Ill  the  full   vigor  and   inime  of  manhood,   with  intellect 


William  Hayne  Perry.  109 


8trengthened  by  experience,  his  friends,  judging  the  future  by 
the  past,  confidently  predict  for  him  an  honorable  and  use- 
ful career  in  the  new  sphere  of  life  upon  which  he  is  about  to 
enter.  In  every  position  to  which  he  has  so  far  been  called 
by  the  partiality  of  the  people  he  has  shown  himself  worthy 
of  their  confidence  and  respect.  As  a  man  he  is  without  re- 
proach, a  patriot  without  stain,  and  a  soldier  without  fear. 

"In  all  his  armor  there  is  no  flaw  in  which  envy  or  malice 
may  lodge  a  shaft  of  criticism." 

Col.  Periy  lives  with  his  father  three  miles  from  the  city  of 
Greenville,  at  his  valuable  country  seat,  "Sans  Bouci,"  a 
home  of  beauty,  comfort  and  hospitality,  with  its  spacious 
and  beutiful  residence  surrounded  with  its  ornamented  and 
neatly  kept  grounds.  Prettily  situated  on  one  of  the  out- 
lying hills  at  the  foot  of  Paris  Mountain,  the  view  is  wide  and 
expansive.  Undulating  over  vale  and  meadow,  hill  and  dale, 
it  breaks  itself  on  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  distant  Blue  Ridge. 

"  Where  distance  lends  enchantment  to  the  view. 
And  robes  the  mountain  in  its  azure  hue." 

Here  he  enjoys  relaxation  from  the  cares  of  his  profession, 
and  leads  the  life  of  a  country  gentleman,  surrounded  by  all 
those  seductive  charms  of  a  home  presided  over  by  taste, 
culture  and  refinement. 

"  More  sweet  than  all  th(  landsdape  smiling  near." 

E.  G. 


<35^  •^li'ilS  •^!><c^  <1S'5S;  <3><^. 


LETTERS 

Received  Congratulatorj  on  William  fl.  Perry's  Re-election  to  Congress  for  the  Thirii  Term, 


Union,  S.  C,  Sept.  17,  1888. 
Mrs.  Governor  Perry,  Greenville,  S.  C. 

My  Dear  Madam:  Doubtless  you  have  ere  this  received 
from  many  distinguished  friends  hearty  congratulations  upon 
the  triumphant  re-election  of  your  son  to  Congress,  and  en- 
couraged by  the  recollection  of  kindly  courtesies  received  at 
your  hands  and  from  members  of  your  family,  I  venture  to 
hope  that  you  also  will  accept  this  expression  of  my  gratifi- 
cation at  the  happy  result  of  the  contest. 

However  much  your  son  may  have  been  indebted  to  the 
devotion  of  a  noble  brother  and  the  active  zeal  of  friends,  it 
was,  after  all,  his  own  high  character,  and  the  rare  ability 
which  characterized  his  public  utterances  during  the  canvass 
that  won  the  victory. 

I  have  never  known  any  one  (of  whom  our  people  of  Union 
had  known  so  little  before)  to  inspire  them  with  such  en- 
thusiasm as  your  son  did  in  the  late  canvass.  His  speeches 
did  the  work,  and  the  more  they  heard  them,  the  better  were 
they  pleased. 

Your  friend,  Judge  Wallace,  said  when  asked  about  Wil- 
liam Perry's  character  and  ability :  ''  He  is  an  able  lawyer, 
a  gentleman  of  highest  honor  and  integrity,  and  there  is  no 
man  in  whom  the  people  of  Greenville,  who  know  him  best, 
have  more  implicit  confidence  in  every  relation  of  life." 

Will  you  do  me  the  kindness  to  extend  my  felicitations  on 
the  happy  event  to  your  daughter  and  daughter-in-law. 
Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

David  Johnson,  Sr. 


WUlisim  Hayne  Perry.  Ill 


Columbia,  S.  C,  Sept.  19,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Pfruy,  Greenville,  S.  C. 

Dear  Madam:  Let  me  thank  you  for  the  kindly  notice 
taken  by  you  of  my  note  of  thanks  acknowledging  the  volume 
of  sketches  recently  sent  to  me  by  you. 

In  reply  to  your  question,  to  whom  could  you  send  some 
mark  of  appreciation  for  the  part  they  took  in  supporting 
your  son's  cause,  I  cannot  pretend  in  a  short  note  to  make 
mention  of  one  fiftieth  of  the  deserving  ones  without  giving 
rise  to  invidious  distinctions.  We  all  worked  night  and  day. 
With  .your  permission,  however,  I  will  give  you  a  few  names: 
Hon.  John  T.  Rhett,  Mayor  of  the  city ;  Hon.  John  C.  Seegers, 
Member  of  Legislature;  Hon.  F.  W.  McMaster,  Senator  from 
Richland;  Hon.  J.  H.  Pearson,  Judge  of  Probate;  Col.  Wil- 
liam Wallace,  ex-State  Senator  from  Richland  ;  C.  R.  Arthur, 
Esq.,  Clerk  of  Court;  Samuel  W.  Rowan,  Esq.,  Sheriff;  W.  J. 
Oathcart,  Esq.,  City  Clerk  and  Treasurer;  C.  0.  Marshall, 
Esq.,  ex-Representative;  J.  C.  F.  Sims,  Esq.,  one  of  our 
largest  planters ;  E.  D.  Gillmore,  Esq.,  our  largest  land  owner ; 
C.  A.  Calvo,  Jr.,  Esq.,  proprietor  of  the  Daily  Register ;  John 
W.  R.  Pope,  Esq.,  editor  of  the  Daily  Register ;  Captain  J.  P. 
Meehan,  of  the  Hook  and  Ladder  Company ;  E.  J.  Brennen, 
merchant,  Alderman,  and  prominent  candidate  for  the  Leg- 
islature; J.  H.  Davis,  prominent  merchant;  Col.  W.  C.  Swaf- 
field,  insurance  agent;  Capt.  J.  S.  Leaphart,  capitalist; 
Joseph  M.  English,  one  of  our  worthiest  citizens;  Wm.  H. 
Lyles,  Esq.,  distinguished  member  of  the  Columbia  bar;  D. 
C.  Ray,  Esq.,  attorney  at  law;  A.  W.  Ray,  Esq.,  attorney  at 
law;  Charles  Narey,  merchant;  John  A. Crawford, Esq., large 
factor  and  cotton  buyer;  John  McMaster,  Esq.;  Col.  T.  J. 
Lipscomb,  Superintendent  Penitentiary;  Dr.  P.  E.  Griffin, 
Superintendent  State  Lunatic  Asylum  ;  J.  M.  Crawford,  most 
progressive  farmer  here;  Julius  H.  Walker,  Cashier  Loan 
and  Exchange  Bank. 

A  ver^^  large  number  of  our  most  respected  citizens  voted 
for  your  son. 

No  one  need  be  ashamed  either  of  the  support  or  of  the 
supporters  your  son  had  in  this  community,  for  they  came 
to  his  assistance  from  all  the  w^alks  of  life,  each  one  of  which 


112  William  Hay ne  Perry. 


endorsed  his  cause  as  a  public  serv^ant  who  had  served  al^ 
alike,  faithfully  and  honestly. 

The  correspondent  of  the  Charleston  News  and  Courier, 
says:  "Col.  Perry  had  the  support  of  a  larj^e  majority  of 
the  artisans  and  clerks  and  the  Penitentiary  guards  and 
Asylum  attendants  almost  in  a  body.  His  campaign  was 
quietly  but  thoroughly  conducted  by  Capt.  Pat  Meehan  of 
the  Phoenix  Truck  Company." 

No  man  could  win  higher  praise  than  is  conveyed  by  this 
criticism :  He  served  all  alike  in  his  public  capacity,  and 
la-borerw,  clerks,  professional  men  and  artisans — all  being 
good  Democrats — yielded  him  a  ready  support  which  has  re- 
sulted in  the  overwhelming  defeat  of  his  opponent.  Please 
add  my  name  to  your  son's  warm  friends. 

Very  truly  and  respectfully, 

•  Andrew  Crawford. 


Columbia,  S.  C,  Oct.  5, 1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry,  Sans  Souci, 

My  Dear  Madam:  Let  me  thank  you  kindly  for  the  com- 
pliments you  have  again  and  again  paid  me  by  selecting  me 
(out  of  the  host  of  good  and  true  friends  Congressman 
Perry  has  in  this  community)  to  whom  to  express  your  ap- 
preciation of  Richland's  support  of  him  in  the  recent  cani- 
paign.  I  repeat  that  I  have  iiever  known  a  more  fairly  con- 
ducted political  campaign  than  the  one  in  which  he  was  vic- 
tor, nor  have  I  ever  known  higher  bearing  in  a  candidate 
than  that  exemphfied  by  Colonel  Perry  throughout  the  or- 
deal culminating  in  his  selection  as  the  candidate  of  our 
party. 

In  publishing  the  letter  alluded  to  in  relation  to  your  hus- 
band, I  shall  feel  flattered  to  have  you  make  use  of  anything 
emanating  from  me  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  in  th^^ 
depicting  of  a  character  upon  which  has  fallen  the  mantle  of 
history.  Yours  truly, 

Andrew  Crawford. 


Willmii}  Hayne  Perry.  IIS 


Laurens,  S.  C,  Sept.  13,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry, 

Dear  Madam:  Allow  nie  as  an  old  friend  of  journoblehus- 
band  and  of  your  son.  Colonel  W.  H.  Perry,  to  tender  my 
congratulations  on  the  re-election  of  the  latter  to  Congress. 
I  think  I  can  enter  into  the  feeling  of  honest  pride  and  pleas- 
ure which  the  news  of  his  success  must  havegiven  his  mother ; 
for  there  is  nothing  that  more  thoroughly  gratifies  a  parent 
than  distinction  won  by  an  honorable,  gifted  child. 

Colonel  Perry  is  the  victor  in  a  closely-fought  contest,  and 

has  retained  the  respect  of  his  opponents.    This  in  itself  is  an 

achievment  few  men  in  political  life  have  won.    Mrs.  Moseley 

joins  me  in  these  expressions.     With  the  highest  regard,  1  am, 

Respectfully  yours, 

George  F.  Moseley. 


Union,  S.  C,  Sept.  14,  1888. 
Dear  Mrs.  Perry:  Accept  my  thanks  for  the  beautiful 
copy  of  the  "Sketches  by  Governor  Perry,  of  South  Caro- 
lina," which  you  kindly  sent  me.  I  appreciate  the  gift  so 
much;  the  very  correct  likeness  of  your  illustrious  husband, 
contained  in  the  book,  increases  my  admiration  for  it. 

Strange  coincident,  the  book  reached  this  place  amid  the 
booming  of  our  cannon  in  honor  of  the  re-election  of  your 
son.  Col.  William  H.  Perry,  to  Congress.  Wishing  3'ou 
health  and  much  happiness,  I  am, 

Yours  truly, 

J.  G.  McKissiCK. 


Columbia,  S.  C,  Sept.  14,  1888. 

My  Dear  Mrs.  Perry  :  I  have  rejoiced  with  you  all  over 
the  victory  of  Col.  Perry,  and  did  all  I  could  here,  in  my  way, 
to  secure  it.  It  would  have  done  you  good  to  see  how  his 
friends  worked  for  him  on  election  day. 

The  Columbia  correspondent  of  the  News  and  Courier  said 
the  business  men  and  merchants  all  voted  for  Duncan,  but 
this  is  a  mistake,  for  I  know  that  many  of  our  most  promi- 


114  Willmin  Htivne  Perrv 


iient  men  of  busiiies;s  supported  Colonel  Perry  on  the  business 
principle  that  his  experience  in  Confi:ress  made  him  the  rnore 
efficient  man  of  the  two.  His  speech  here  made  him  friends 
and  supporters  among  thinking  men  who  do  not  take  part 
in  active  politics.  He  never  could  have  cariied  the  citv  of 
Columbia  as  he  did,  if  men  of  influence  had  not  given  him 
their  warm  support.  The  vote  in  Gi-eenville  County  was 
splendid  and  a  great  tribute,  considering  that  it  was  the 
third  time  in  a  month  the  people  had  been  called  to  the  polls. 

I  am  truly  glad  to  learn  that  Perry  is  to  come  back  hei'e. 

I  think  it  a  great  mistake  for  our  boys  to  change  their 
teachers  and  schools.  It  has  been  the  bane  of  my  own  sons, 
and  has  had  much  to  do  with  their  ill  success  at  books.  Let 
Perry  stick  to  his  own  State  and  people*  and  after  life  will 
tell  its  worth  to  him.  I  want  him  to  look  upon  our  house  as 
a  home,  where  a  heai^y  and  loving  greeting  will  always 
await  him. 

Love  to  dear  Fanny.    Kiss  Emily  foi-  me. 

Ever,  my  dear  Mrs.  Peiry,  your  friend, 

E.  Capeks. 


CoLUMiuA,  8.  C,  Sept.  15,  1888. 
Deak  Mrs.  Pp:hry:  It  is  with  great  pleasure  that  I  write 
you  at  this  time,  knowing  that  you  are  happy  at  the  result 
of  last  Tuesday's  election.  And  I  assure  you  the  friends  of 
your  son  in  Richland  are  more  than  delighted  over  his  victo- 
ry and  the  good  work  they  did  liere.  It  was  quite  a  surprise 
to  both  sides.  The  day  before  the  election,  Mr.  Duncan's 
friends  claimed  that  Richland  would  not  give  Perry  one  hun- 
died  nmjority.  But  when  Tuesday  came,  and  the  Duncan 
fiiends  saw  how  the  Perry  boys  were  working,  they  soon 
gave  up  all  hope  of  Richland  cutting  Perry's  majority  down 
below  one  hundred.  I  was  at  the  box  in  our  ward,  in  the 
city,  and  it  was  soon  seen  that  we  would  give  Perry  three  to 
one,  whicli  we  did  exactly  at  our  precinct,  Duncan  receiving 
51  votes  and  Perry  153.  The  Rev.  Mi".  Capers  voted  at  our 
ward,  and  when  he  came  to  vote,  he  picked  up  a  ticket  and 
said  he  wanted  to  vote  for  his  friend  Perrv.    I  don't  think 


WilUiim  Hayne  Perry.  115 


there  ever  was  a.s  riiucb  interest  taken  in  an  election  here 
since  the  war,  and  when  the  result  of  Richland  was  known, 
you  could  see  "roups  of  Perry's  friends  on  the  streets  with 
smiling- faces,  and  the  Duncan  men,  I  must  say,  looked  very 
sad.  We  know  there  are  a  great  many  who  are  sorry  for 
what  they  did,  but  Perry's  friends  here  are  very  forgiving, 
and  in  future  I  guess  the  defeated  ones  will  come  to  us  for 
advice — that  is,  if  they  want  to  get  on  the  strong  side,  which 
is  the  side  of  justice  and  truth. 

Now  that  it  is  all  over,  I  want  you  to  say  to  your  son, 
Hon.  W.  H.  Perry,  that  he  should  nev^er  forget  Richland's 
interest  in  Congress. 

I  will  now  close,  hoping  this  ma^^  reach  yau  safe  and  find 
you  in  the  best  of  health.  With  best  of  wishes  for  you  and 
all  the  members  of  your  family,  I  am. 

Your  friend, 

George  V.  Hennies. 


Columbia,  S.  C,  Sept.  17.  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry, 

Dear  Madam:  Please  accept  my  congratulations  on  the 
success  of  your  son.  He  is  the  "  right  man  in  the  right  place," 
and  you  should  be  proud  of  him.  With  many  kind  wishes 
I  am.  Very  respectfully, 

P.  B.  McCoy. 


Office  of  State  Superintendent  of  Education, 

Columbia,  S.  C,  Sept.  17,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry, 

My  Dear  Madam:  I  certainly  enjoyed  reading  your  very 
interesting  letter,  and  my  sympathy  was  fully  drawn  out  as 
I  saw  your  natural  mother's  solicitude  for  the  success  of  your 
son.  I  now  hasten  to  congratulate  you  upon  his  very  hand- 
some election.  He  deserves  it  every  bit,  for  Willie  Perry  is  a 
genuine  man,  and  I  regret  to  say  the  world  is  not  full  of  them. 
Having  known  him  from  an  early  age  in  many  relations,  I 
am  gratified  to  speak  knowingly,  1  never  knew  hin»  to  do 


116  William  Hayiw  Perry. 

aiiythino-  wrong  except  remaining  single  (*).  He  in  really 
too  modest  and  does  not  count  for  all  he  is  worth,  for  I  am 
sure  South  Carolina  has  no  truer  man  or  more  faithful  public 
servant.  Please  accept  my  most  hearty  good  wishes  for  this 
fitting  up  of  his  third  term. 

Very  liespectfully, 

James  H.  Rick. 


Columbia,  8.  C,  Sept.  17,  1888. 
^Iks.  B.  F.  Pekry,  Greenville,  S.  C. 

Respected  Madam  :  You  will  please  accept  my  many 
thanks  for  the  very  valuable  pamphlets  you  thought  I  was 
worthy  to  have  mailed  to  me.  To  have  had  this  attention 
l^estowed  by  you  1  ceitainly  considei-  a  very  great  compli- 
ment. It  was  never  my  good  fortune  to  form  the  acquaint- 
ance of  your  distinguished  and  much-lamented  husband, 
ex-Governoi*  B.  V.  Perry,  yet  1  knew  him — knewhimtohonoi* 
and  respect,  for  his  learning,  great  thoughts  and  goodness. 
The  address  delivered  by  him  in  this  city,  in  1858  I  had  the 
])leasure  of  hearing.  Rest  assured,  Mrs.  Perry,  that  those 
pamphlets  are  highly  prized  by  me,  and  will  be  treasured, 
often  read  and  referred  to. 

I  should  have  sooner  acknowledged  the  recnipt  of  those 
most  interesting  papers,  but  deferred  that  I  might  have  the 
pleasure  of  extending  at  the  same  time  my  hearty  con- 
gratulations for  the  success  of  your  honorable  son,  Col.  W. 
H.  Perry,  in  again  by  a  very  large  majority  receiving  the 
lenomination  for  Congress  to  represent  the  Fourth  Con- 
gressional District.  This  victory  was  won  by  true  merit 
alone,  and  his  many  friends  of  Richland  rejoice  the  more  on 
that  account. 

Again,  dear  madam,  accept  my  thanks  for  attention  shown, 
^lay  heaven's  choicest  blessings  be  showered  upon  you  and 
your  family,  is  the  humble  prayer  of 

Your  most  obedient  servant, 

Charles  E.  Kirk. 


(*)  Whieli  '•  wrong*"  he  correeteil  the  followinji-  October  17.  1888. 


William  Hayne  Perry.  117 


House  of  Eepresentatives, 

Washington,  D.  C,  Sept.  25,  1888. 
Mrs.  H.  F.  Perry,  Greenville,  S.  C. 

My  Dear  Mrs.  Perry:  Thanks  for  a  copy  of  the  Green- 
ville Enterprise  and  Mountaineer,  recordingthedetails  of  the 
handsome  endorsement  of  your  son  and  my  esteemed  col- 
league, at  the  late  primary. 

It  was  a  deserved  recognition  of  faithful  and  efficient  ser- 
vice, and  I  beg  you  to  accept  my  congratulations  over  a  re- 
sult which  must  have  been  eminently  gi'atifying  to  yourself. 
Very  respectfully  and  truly  yours, 

Samuel  Dibble. 


Greenville,  S.  C,  Sept.  27,  1888. 

Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry:  I  think  Prof.  Morrison  is  the  author 
of  the  review  of  the  great  speech  of  your  distinguished  hus- 
band and  my  dear  friend,  contained  in  the  last  number  of  the 
Southern  Christian  Advocate.  Of  this  I  am  not  quite  sure,  but 
will  ascertain  with  certainty,  who  is  the  author  and  com- 
municate the  fact  to  you. 

Let  me  assure  you  the  triumphant  election  of  your 
distinguished  son  could  not  have  been  more  gratifying  to 
yourself  and  family  than  to  the  writer  hereof.  The  victory 
W.  H.  Perry  achieved  in  the  contest,  shows,  beyond  all  ques- 
tion what  a  grasp  he  has  upon  the  affections  and  confidence 
of  the  people.  He  had  a  Greek  to  meet  in  his  opponent,  a 
gentleman  of  great  personal  popularity^a  foeman  worthy 
of  his  steel,  and  notwithstanding  all  this,  your  son's  victory 
was  a  Waterloo  defeat  to  his  competitor. 

Very  respectfully, 

John  M.  Stokes. 


Columbia,  S.  C,  Oct.  1,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry,  Greenville,  S.  C. 

My  Dear  Madam  :  1  desire  to  return  my  sincere  thanks  for 
the  copy  of  "Sketches  by  Governor  Perry,"  recently  received, 
and  also  for  the  other  pamphlets  previously  sent  me.  My  re- 
collections of  your  distinguished  husband  are  of  the  pleas- 


118  William  H ay ne  Perry. 


an  test,  and  I  had  ^reat  admiration  for  him,  both  as  a  man 
an(i  a  statesman.  I  therefore  prize  very  highly  the  produc- 
tions of  his  pen  you  have  sent  me,  and  shall  recommend  them 
to  thecareful  perusal  of  my  children.  Your  son,  Hon.  W.  H. 
Perry,  was  as  you  know  a  Lieutenant  in  my  Regiment,  the 
2d  S.  C.  Cavalry,  during  the  late  war,  and  always  acquitted 
himself  with  credit  to  his  name  and  his  State.  I  entertain 
the  highest  regard  for  him,  and  congratulate  you  and  him 
heartily  upon  his  renomination  to  the  seat  he  has  heretofore 
so  worthily  filled  in  Congress.  I  have  taken  occasion  to 
tender  to  the  young  men  in  my  employment  the  thanks  you 
have  so  kindly  expressed  for  the  interest  they  took  in  the  re- 
nomination  of  your  son. 
With  much  respect,  I  have  the  honor  to  subscribe  myself, 

Your  friend, 

T.  J.  Lipscomb. 


Campobello,  S.  C,  Oct.  21,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry, 

My  Dear  Madam  :  Your  kind  letter  of  October  18,  is  re- 
ceived and  I  take  great  pleasure  in  replying  to  the  same,  and 
not  only  to  do  this,  but  to  acknowledge  myself  the  happy  re- 
cipient of  the  book  you  sent  me  containing  Sketches, 
Speeches,  &c.,  of  your  eminent,  noble  and  patriotic  husband, 
which  is  presented  me  in  reciprocation  for  the  small  volume 
I  sent  you.  1  would  have  acknov.ledged  this  valuable  gift 
sooner,  but  for  the  fact  that  it  came  to  Landrum  instead  of 
this  place  (Campobello)   where  I  receive  most  of  my  mail. 

While  I  was  expecting  nothing  in  return  from  you,  I  can 
assure  you  that  nothing  you  could  have  giv^en  me  would 
have  been  more  appreciated.  I  find  myself  constantly 
dwelling  upon  its  interesting  pages,  and  soon  will  have  read 
it  through.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  becoming  acquainted 
personally  with  your  husband  while  reading  medicine  with 
Dr.  Earle  in  Greenville  in  1806  and  have  not  only  admired, 
but  idolized  the  purity  of  his  exalted  character  and  every- 
thing- pertaining  to  the  same.  While  engaged  in  writing- 
some  historical  sketches  for  one  of  our  county  papers  a  few 


William  Hiiyne  Perry.  119 


years  ago,  I  corresponded  with  him,  and  shall  never  forget 
his  kindness  in  fnrnishing  me  such  valuable  information  as 
enabled  me  to  complete  that  which  I  had  undertaken. 

You  are  correct  in  stating  that  I  am  a  friend  of  your  son, 
the  Hon.  William  H.  Perry,  and  one  of  his  main  supporters 
in  the  i-ecent  Congressional  election.  We  were  together  for 
three  years  in  the  same  regiment  in  the  army.  I  knew  him 
pleasantly  during  the  year  I  spent  in  Greenville,  and  have 
met  him  often  since.  We  were  both  members  of  our  State 
Legislature  at  the  same  time — he  a  member  of  the  Senate  and 
I  a  member  of  the  House. 

During  all  this  time,  I  have  admired  him  as  a  plain,  upright, 
honest  and  patriotic  gentleman,  adorned  with  the  dignity 
and  intellect  of  his  distinguished  father.  Without  any  senti- 
ment of  flattery,  I  can  assure  you  that  he  is  a  representative 
man  among  the  people,  and  although  he  may,  from  personal 
preference,  decline  re-election  two  years  hence,  I  hear  it  al- 
ready mooted  by  intelligent  thinking  ones,  that  the  public 
interest  will  demand  that  he  longerserve  the  people.  Certain 
it  is  that  he  will  not  be  allowed  to  remain  inactive  very  long. 

The  times  will  demand  that  he  be  called  into  other  impor- 
tant and  responsible  spheres  of  usefulness.  Be  this  as  it  may, 
no  one  will  look  with  more  pleasure  and  pride  to  his  contin- 
ued elevation  than  myself.  I  have  been,  and  will  always  re- 
main, his  humble  friend  and  supporter. 

We  received  the  wedding  card  of  invitation  to  which  you 
refer,  and,  if  it  is  not  imposing  too  much  on  you,  will  request 
that  you  convey  to  the  happy  pair,  for  myself  and  family, 
our  thanks  for  the  compliment,  and  our  kindest  wishes  for 
their  future  welfare,  happiness  and  prosperity. 

I  thank  you  for  your  kind  invitation  to  call  upon  you  in 
person  in  Greenville,  and  hope  at  no  distant  day  to  be  able 
to  avail  myself  of  that  pleasure,  and  with  many  kind  wishes, 
etc.,  I  am,  with  the  highest  esteem  and  veneration. 
Your  friend  and  humble  servant, 

J.  B.  O.  Landrum. 


120  WiUiam  Hayne  Purry. 

Columbia,  S.  C,  Get.  8,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry,  Greenville,  S.  C. 

My  Dear  Madam:  I  bej2;to  thank  you  for  the  papers  re- 
ceived .yesterday,  and  for  the  photograph  received  to-day.  1 
have  always  entertained  profound  respect  for  the  memory  of 
your  distinguished  husband,  hence,  his  picture  cannot  fail  to 
be  fully  appreciated.  I  have  never  had  the  pleasure  of  meet- 
ing you,  but  I  shall  value  your  picture  as  the  wife  of  one  of 
South  Carolina's  most  distinguished  sons,  and  as  the  mother 
of  one  who  has  rendered  me  service  simply  because  I  was  one 
of  a  numerous  constituency.  To  Col.  William  H.  Perry  I  owe 
a  debt  of  friendship  and  gratitude  for  substantial  aid  and 
for  constant  courtesies,  in  return  for  which  any  little  service 
that  I  can  render  him  will  be  wholly  inadequate,  and  there- 
fore his  picture  is  in  more  than  fiiendly  hands.  As  the  sister 
of  two  esteemed  friends,  I  shall  value  Mrs.  Beattie's  picture, 
and  hope  some  day  to  have  the  pleasure  of  knowing  her,  as 
well  as  yourself,  personally.  As  for  the  picture  of  the  sweet 
little  sister  of  Mr.  Beattie,  I  shall  value  it  because  I  love 
(children,  and  because  the  little  face  appears  to  beam  with 
amiability — Nature's  fairest  ornament  to  her  sex.  So,  you 
see,  my  dear  madam,  that,  as  a  whole,  the  picture  is  thor- 
oughly appreciated.  You  will  be  good  enough  to  pardon 
mj'  seeming  familiarity  in  alluding  individually  to  the  faces 
in  the  picture ;  my  appreciation  of  it  could  not  be  well  at- 
tested otherwise. 

With  friendly  greetings  for  your  son,  Mr.  B.  F.  Perry,  who, 
I  suppose,  is  with  you, and  with  sincere  respect  for  yourself,! 
remain,  Very  respectfully  yours, 

Joseph  M.  English. 


William  Hayne  Perry.  121 


Greenville,  S.  C,  Sept.  16,  1888. 
Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry,  Greenville  City, 

Dear  Madam  :  Please  accept  many  thanks  forthe  valuable 
book  given  me,  and  I  assure  you  that  "Sketches  by  Govern  or 
-Perry,  of  South  Carolina,"  occupy  an  honored  and  highly 
prized  position  in  my  Library.  I  appreciate  the  work 
because  it  contains  his  writings,  likeness  and  impress,  and 
was  given  me  by  you  upon  a  day  I  shall  long  remember  with 
great  pleasure  an  d  pride.  Now  that  the  fact  is  fully  confirmed 
and  conceded  on  all  sides,  I  desire  to  tender  to  you  my  most 
hearty  congratulations  upon  the  success  of  your  distinguished 
son.    It  is  a  grand  victory  in  which  you  do  not  share  alone. 

In  him  I  feel  that  we  have  a  puplic  servant  in  whom  may 
be  reposed  implicit  confidence,  and  that  in  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States  he  will  discharge  the  duties  of  that  high  office 
with  credit  to  himself  as  well  as  great  benefit  and  fairness  to 
his  constituents.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  me  to  know  that  every 
one  of  my  name  supported  Col.  Perry,  and  I  sincerely  hope 
the  friendship  which  began  with  the  fathers,  will  continue  to 
augment  as  long  as  the  names  Perry  and  Gilreathare  known 
in  this  land. 

With  me  the  name  of  Governor  Perr^' shall  be  handed  down 
to  posterity  as  the  greatest  and  truest  man  South  Carohna 
has  ever  produced.  May  his  sons,  as  they  are  doing,  emulate 
his  noble  vii-tues  and  follow  in  his  illustrious  footprints. 

Truly  your  friend, 

Herman  G.  Gilreath. 


Extract  from  a  Speech 


DELIVERED  BY 


Col,  Henrf  O,  Capers  at  the  Mass  Meetiog  at  Greeoville  the  [veniog  Before  the  Congressional  [lection, 


s:E:i=i'E:ivd:sES.  ±o,  ises. 


I  have  not  language  to  express  to  you  the  gratification 
that  I,  in  common  with  others  who  were  with  me,  experienced 
during  the  past  winter  when  looking  down  upon  the  Na- 
tional House  of  Representatives  in  session  I  recognized  the 
influence  and  the  respectable  caste  of  those  who  were 
there  to  represent  the  sovereignty  of  this  grand  old  historic 
State ;  when  from  every  Congressional  District  the  people  of 
this  Commonwealth,  distinguished  from  their  earliest  history 
through  their  representatives,  in  every  department  of  social 
life,  were  recognized  in  the  National  Legislature  as  the  peei's 
of  the  best,  from  stilted  New  England  or  from  reckless 
Illinois;  when  I  met  such  men  as  Dibble,  Hemphill,  Tilhnan, 
Dargan,  Cothran,  and  your  honored  and  worthy  representa- 
tive, William  H.  Perry,  illustrating  in  their  personal  influ- 
ences their  recognized  characters  as  true  men,  their  intelli- 
gence as  legislators,  and  their  virtues  of  citizenship,  n 
sovereignty  of  manhood  and  of  intelligence. 

Among  these  your  Representative  was  recognized  by  Dem- 
ocrats and  Republicans  as  a  man  of  the  highest  personal  in- 
tegrity, of  a  deliberate  sound  judgment,  who  in  formulating 
the  work  of  Congress  in  the  Committee  rooms  was  always  at 
his  post  of  duty  and  ready  with  reason  and  in  sober  judg 
ment  to  exercise  the  functions  delegated  to  him  by  his  con- 
stituency and  prove  himself  a  safe  adviser.  My  friends,  it  is 
a  great  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  noisy  member  of  any 
deliberative  body,  who  is  ever  i-eady  to  display  the  periods 
of  rhetoric  and  to  secure  the  printed  applause  of  a  reporter, 
is  either  the  m»n  of  influence  or  the  safe  director  in   ])ublic 


Willmm  Hayne  Perry.  123 

affairs.    Those  who  think  the  most  are  apt  to  speak  the 
less. 

Knowing  his  personal  character  for  unimpeached  integrity, 
his  influence  in  the  House  of  Representatives  and  before  the 
Committees  of  this  great  legislative  body,  the  respect  he 
commands  from  all,  whether  of  his  party  or  of  the  opposition, 
furthermore,  that  he  has  to  his  acquired  experiences  in  two 
terms  of  service  to  add  the  strength,  soundness  and  balance 
of  a  mind  just  reaching  its  prime,  in  the  strength  of  a 
vigorous  manhood,  I  would,  were  I  allowed  so  to  do,  for  the 
good  of  the  people  and  the  honor  of  this  Commonwealth,  lay 
the  burden  of  representing  them  upon  William  H.  Perry — 
upon  him  who  stands  before  his  people  to-day  with  a  record 
clean  of  reproach,  and  with  nothing  to  explain  or  to  ex- 
tenuate, but  with  much  for  you  to  commend  and  for  you  to 
be  y)roud  of. 


